Before they catch their breath
by Michalice W
Summary: What happens before the Royal Family even has time to catch their breath after the events surrounding the eclipse.  Chaps 10-12 have been reworked, see note inside for details.  Rated T for violence and mentions of rape later in the story.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I just went and saw "Wicked" for the second time and I'm just all things OZ right now, so of course I added Tin Man to my obsessive-ness and thought I'd finally put this story up here. I'm working with a lot of material, and trying to get it edited and broken up into decent-sized chaps so be prepared for this to be obscenely long. Thanks in advance for anyone that sticks with me on it! Also, I'm letting this story go where it may, so my apologies if it seems AU or OOC but when I wrote this I was trying to reconcile the TM series with my sense of happy-ending-ness and this is what came out. Also, this is un-beta-ed so all mistakes are mine and my apologies if anything is wonky.**

**Happy reading!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tin Man.**

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Silence reigned for forty-five minutes after DG and Azkadelia were reunited with their parents. The battered family held each other, letting their closeness say things they weren't sure how to say with their mouths.

Before anyone's breath had even been caught, a cry came up from the grounds below.

"The Longcoats are coming! The Longcoats are coming!"

Wyatt Cain blasted into the room. "Your Majesty, a scout has spotted a large group of Longcoats headed this way. She estimates as many as three-hundred."

The Queen paled. "Are our people even able to gather a force at this moment?"

"My so- er, Jeb Cain is rallying a group as we speak, and another Captain...Evergreen I think – has a small force of unwounded that he has gathered. Although, they _are_ tired Your Majesty and I'm not sure what kind of defense they can mount."

"Are they after Az?" DG whispered, wrapping her arms around her sister who sat frozen in horror.

"I would assume so," Cain replied. "Or more precisely they are after the sorceress, thinking she still possesses the princess Azkedelia."

Cain hesitated. DG could tell he wanted to ask her something. "Out with it Cain," she ordered taking a few steps toward him.

The tin man dropped his voice and moved near DG. "Kid, listen, I know you don't exactly know how to control your magic, but those boys down there could really use your help."

DG blanched. "I don't think - "

The Queen interrupted here. "No, DG!" she cried. "I know you want to help, but with all the energy you expended helping your sister, trying to use your magic now would only do you great harm!"

A loud cry sounded from below and the group ran to the balcony. The Longcoat army crested the hill. They were angry and shouting and causing a panic amongst the resistance forces at the base of the tower. The fear was palpable, even up toward the top of the tower. DG grabbed a fistful of Cain's duster and held on for dear life.

"No, really Kid," Cain whispered. "Anything you can do is better than letting all those people die."

"Maybe Az can help me," DG told Cain. She looked around for her sister, but the older princess wasn't anywhere to be found. "Az?" she asked, going back into the tower. "Azkadelia?" With a gasp, she ran back to the group watching the events unfold below them. "She's gone!"

"Where'd she go?" Ahamo asked, taking his youngest by the shoulders.

"I don't know!" DG cried with a panic.

"There she is!" Lavendar Eyes shouted and everyone turned to see the queen pointing down to the fracas below them. As a group, they pressed themselves to the railing on the balcony and watched Azkadelia as she ran from the tower out into the fray.

Clad in only a light-purple shift and with her dark hair flowing down her back, it would have been easy to pick out the princess against the dark-colored clothing of the resistance army – even if the people hadn't recoiled in fear of her, carving a path through the chaos to the front lines.

DG was practically hyperventilating out of fear for her sister. She scanned the crowd below and spotted Jeb Cain standing with another man near the front of the resistance army, both with horrified expressions as Azkadelia ran barefoot over the ground toward them.

"Jeb!" DG and Cain yelled at the same time. "Stop her!"

Both men moved to intercept the princess, but never got further than a few steps before they stopped.

"What are they doin'? What is _she _doin'?" Cain growled.

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Jeb Cain and Tannen Evergreen raced toward each other, a few ragged soldiers at their heels.

"How many you got Tannen?" Jeb asked.

"Forty, tops," the older captain replied. "You?"

"Twice that, if I'm lucky," Jeb replied. "Everybody else is either passed out or still bleeding."

"What do we do?" Tannen asked.

"I'm honestly not sure," the younger Cain replied. "My father went to the Queen. I think he's hoping DG, I mean the princess, can help us."

Suddenly, the commotion behind them changed. They turned to see what was happening and both gasped in shock. The resistance army fell back in waves as a scantily clad Azkadelia ran from the tower and flew through the opening the people created before her.

Jeb heard his father and DG yelling for him to stop Azkadelia and both he and Tannen came back to their senses and moved to intercept the princess.

"No, don't," she gasped at them. "I can help."

Her words halted the men in their tracks and Azkadelia skidded past them and the other soldiers making up the front lines of defense. No one moved, no one said anything – the terror of the witch still too real in their minds.

"Enough!" Azkadelia screamed into the coming onslaught of Longcoat soldiers.

They came to a stop and one of the men in the front of the pack yelled, "All hail the Sorceress!"

"We've been betrayed!" came the cry from somewhere near the back of the resistance crowd and a mad scamble began as people tried to flee or grab up a weapon. Only Jeb and Tannen stood still in the field, watching Azkadelia warily advancing on their enemies.

"What is she doing?" Jeb whispered.

"I – I don't know," Tannen replied.

Finally, the princess came to a halt about ten lengths from the Longcoat leader. "The witch is dead!" she cried.

The man's eyes narrowed and the resistance leaders saw looks of disbelief on the faces of the Longcoat's. "What did you say?"

"You heard me," Azkadelia spat back at him and Jeb swore he could see her knees knocking together beneath her dress. "We have no more use for you. LONG LIVE THE HOUSE OF GALE!"

Features contorted, the Longcoat lunged toward the Princess. "I'll kill you stupid bitch!" he cried. Jeb and Tannen vaguely heard the cries from the Royal Family above them as they both rushed toward the princess. With a cry, Azkadelia brought her hands in front of her and – light blazing – she began to push back the horde of Longcoats. The resistance army again came to a stand-still behind her, watching in horrified awe as the princess worked her magic against the enemy.

After a moment, Tannen noticed the color drain from Azkadelia's face and he saw her shudder and stumble, her light flickering briefly. He figured she wouldn't hold out for forever and it was time to take control.

"It's now or never, let's go!" he shouted at Jeb and in a few lunging steps he reached the princess and helped her stand again. With a rallying cry, Jeb brought his soldiers back to their wits and they charged on the Longcoats.

With his hands on her shoulders, Tannen felt the force of the princess' strain to maintain the magic that aided the resistance army. She began to shake violently and when he saw that the soldiers had surrounded the group of Longcoats – most of whom were on the ground and groaning – he reached around and grabbed the princess' hands, effectively breaking her concentration and therefore the magic. With a gasp, Azkadelia fainted against Tannen. He panicked for a moment before Jeb appeared at their sides.

"Take her back to her family," he instructed. "We've got this under control down here."

Tannen nodded, and with heart pounding, he reached down and scooped Azkadelia into his arms. He was hyper-aware of everyone staring at him (some in gratitude, but most in horror) as he carried the princess through the crowd and back to the tower where her family awaited her. He kept his head up and his gait steady, attempting to portray his confidence in the woman that had just saved them all. His pride demanded that much at least.

Once inside the tower, away from the scrutiny of the people, Tannen couldn't get the princess out of his arms fast enough. Gingerly setting her down he turned his back to her and drew deep breaths, trying to get his panic under control.

After the eclipse, the rumors spread like wildfire – the sorceress was dead, she was just dormant; Azadelia was healed, Azkadelia was just faking – despite the Queen's firm announcement that the witch was gone from her daughter. Gossip flew about like a traveling storm. There hadn't been time to find out what was true and what was not before the next threat came upon them. The only truth Tannen knew at that moment was he had Azkadelia right across the room and she _looked_ like the evil sorceress who'd tormented him, his family and the entire O.Z. for so long.

Tannen began pace in front of the princess, his emotions threatening to overwhelm him. He studied the passed out princess while he wore a hole through the floor and shook his fear and panic from his hands. He'd only ever seen the Sorceress from afar – but it had been close enough to sear a painful image into his brain. And here was that image – in the flesh. Except, Tannen noticed, the face was different, somehow. He stopped pacing to scrutinize it. It wasn't just that her hair and clothes were different, Tannen thought that her very face looked softer, vulnerable even. The witch had always been heavily made up and the princess' features were clean of any make up which allowed Tannen to see the dark smudges beneath her eyes and the ashen hue of her cheeks.

As he watched her, Azkadelia began to stir, whimpering pathetically. Her eyes blinked open and immediately flooded with tears.

"Are the Longcoats gone? Is everyone safe?" she whispered, tears streaming down her face. When he didn't answer she tried to sit up a little straighter. "Is it done?" she asked again, desperation tinging her voice.

"It is," he finally choked out.

"Thank the gods," she replied before passing out again.

Tannen tried to control his beating heart. The witch wouldn't have cared if the fighting ever ended, nor would she have thanked anyone if it did. And she certainly wouldn't have cared if everyone was safe. Perhaps the witch _was_ gone. Tannen was old enough that he could remember meeting the young Princess Azkadelia at court functions – she'd been a happy young woman, if a little serious – which is why the O.Z. reeled when she'd spun out of control and overthrown the beloved Queen Lavendar Eyes. Tannen crept forward and knelt by the princess, carefully wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"If you really were a prisoner of the sorceress, Princess Azkedelia," he whispered feeling pity and sympathy enter his heart, "then I'm just as sorry for you as I am for the rest of us."

Before he could say anything else, DG burst down through the stairwell with Cain on her heels. The Queen and Prince Consort followed close after.

"Az! Az!" the younger princess cried.

Tannen stood up and let the woman fuss over her sister. "She passed out from the effort, I'm afraid," he told Azkadelia's concerned parents after bowing low.

"Thank you young man, for standing with her," the queen said, bending down to her daughter.

"Mother," DG sniffed, holding her sister to her. "We need to get Az to a bed."

"Of course my heart, of course," the queen looked around. Both her husband and the young man who'd helped her eldest looked drained and shaken. "Mr. Cain, would you be so kind?" she asked regally.

With a curt nod, Wyatt Cain bent down and scooped up Azkadelia, who lay limp in his arms, her dark hair swinging as lifelessly as her arms.

"Oh, look at her - what a horrible picture! It's just like the stupid movies!" DG cried and moved to hold her sister's hand. "Be careful with her Cain," she said. "She's been through so much."

Tannen thought Cain was going to protest all that Azkadelia had been through, but when the older man looked down into the face of the stricken princess in his arms, Tannen saw the same compassion he'd felt soften the Tin Man's features, and Cain merely nodded and started to walk toward the stairs, DG and the Queen in tow.

The Prince Consort clapped a hand on Tannen's shoulder. "Thank you again, son, for your help and your understanding."

Tannen could only nod his head and watch silently as the man followed after his family.

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***What did you think? Clllliiiiiiick iiiiiiitttt!***


	2. Chapter 2

After the Longcoat army had been locked away, the resistance army, the Royal family, and an ever growing number of O.Z. refugees set to work. Glitch spear-headed the effort to distribute the food stores stockpiled in the tower and he catalogued and organized the treasures, records and documents the sorceress had gathered for her own ends. All recognizable wealth would be returned to it original owners or their progeny – if any could be found. The Queen was anxious to restore her people to their previous lives and she wanted to engender any good will she could by painstakingly righting as many of the sorceress' wrongs as possible within her power.

Raw went among the people, healing where he could and comforting where he couldn't. The Queen called upon Wyatt and Jeb Cain to organize a Royal Army – all members to be paid immediately from the witch's coffers. Ahamo took it upon himself to stay with his eldest daughter – still unconscious – guarding her from outside visitors or further stresses. DG kept vigil over her sister with her father and when she wasn't glued to Azkadelia's bedside, she followed after Cain or Glitch or Raw like an Other Side shadow.

On the third day after Azkadelia had stopped the Longcoats, DG's stress level peaked. She'd been brave for long enough and she was weary and scared.

"Ahamo," she whispered that evening as the suns slipped toward the horizon while she and her father sat by the sleeping princess. "What if she doesn't wake up?"

"She will, DG," Ahamo assured her. "She's just tired. Her body is in need of a long rest, I'm sure."

A messenger came to the tent. "Your Highness, Her Majesty is preparing to start the council and requests the company of you and the princess."

Ahamo dragged his hands over his face. "Is it that time already?" he moaned. "I'd better get going."

"I'm not leaving Az," DG said stubbornly. Her father smiled sadly.

"Of course not, my dear," he said patiently. "Your mother knew one of us would stay with her. She just wasn't thinking."

Slightly mollified, DG nodded.

"You'll be all right here?" Ahamo asked.

The princess nodded again, thinking that nothing would be all right until Az woke up and was okay.

Smiling again, the consort ducked out of the tent and followed the messenger to the open space the Queen was using to hold the larger meetings being held to deal with reorganizing an interim government and preparing the group to return to Central City.

DG picked up Az's hand and hummed softly to her, a ballad she'd loved from the Other Side. After a few minutes, someone cleared their throat outside the tent flap.

"Come in Cain," she called out.

The tin man ducked inside, his face as stoic as ever. He didn't question how she knew it was him, just accepted it. Carefully taking stock of the woman he'd sworn to protect, he grew concerned at the smudges under her eyes and the depressed slump to her shoulders. Everything about her screamed weary.

"How's the princess?" he asked quietly.

"Which one?"

"Both."

DG grimaced slightly. "One's a sleeping beauty and one's an awake wreck," she quipped, attempting to make it a joke. The quaver in her voice gave her away.

Cain didn't move from his stance just inside the door, but his stomach clenched strangely. "Kid, you need to get some sleep before you collapse just like your sister did."

"I'm fine Cain," DG retorted stubbornly, her mood darkening in an instant. "I don't need you telling me what to do."

Cain's lips twitched, but he didn't reply. Technically, she was right. She was a grown woman and she didn't need someone telling her what to do. Besides, she had a mother and father to take ample care of her. But Cain was here now, and he could tell that her circumstances were weighing on her, and he couldn't help but feel he had an obligation to make her slow down.

Before he could say anything else, DG's anger melted and she was contrite.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to snap at you."

"It's all right," Cain assured her. "I understand."

DG sighed and stood up. "No you don't," she told him, all contriteness gone. "I feel like no one does. No one gets it."

Cain quirked up an eyebrow. Nothin' like exhaustion to make a princess a little melodramatic.

"Then help me understand, kiddo."

With a sigh, DG began to cry. Her tears were unsurprising really, she'd been through enough to crack even the hardiest soul, but the effect they had on him was what startled the dispassionate tin man. Groaning, he opened his arms and DG fell against him unceremoniously.

"Don't cry, darlin'," Cain growled gently.

"You were right before," the princess sobbed. "I _am_ tired Cain. But it's more than just feeling sleepy. I've felt so guilty since the cave – that I did this to my sister – and now she's sleeping like the dead and I'm worried she won't wake up or if she does she won't be herself but if she is herself how would I even know what that is because we've been separated for more than a decade and she's been locked inside her own body by a witch that I allowed to take over my sister and what if we can't figure out how to love each other again and what if she hates me because I'm sure I totally would deserve that – "

Cain silenced her tearful babbling gentle fingers over her lips. DG stopped speaking, her blue eyes popping open in surprise and still sparkling with unshed tears.

"I have to go to the council your mother has called," Cain whispered. "So I'll make this quick and then when I'm done I'm gonna come back and you are goin' to get out of this tent for a while and we'll talk some more."

He removed his hand, vaguely relishing the feel of her soft lips, before he continued. "Princess, you are not, and you were not, responsible for what happened to your sister. You were both children – and though what happened was an unspeakably horrible accident, it was just that: an accident." Cain took a deep breath, carefully weighing his words before continuing. "And I don't want to hear about you thinking your sister will hate you or that you two won't figure out how to have the bond you once did. I figure your love for your sister broke her from her prison and that's a great place to start, kid."

Cain stopped there, surprised at his own verbose-ness and wondering at the fact that DG hadn't tried to interrupt him.

"All right then, I'm gonna go," he finally said when the princess still hadn't moved. "But I will be back and you will leave this tent for a nap or at least a break." Cain dropped his arms from around DG and moved to the door.

This seemed to finally snap DG to the present. "Who silences people by putting a finger on their lips?" she asked, a hint of her humor returning. "Seriously, is that gonna be a thing here?"

Cain raised one eyebrow. "That's what you took away from this?" he grumbled. DG stared back at him with innocence, but he could see that her smile, though small, was genuine. He just rolled his eyes and hurried out the door. The faster he got to that meeting, the sooner it would be over and the sooner he could come back and get DG to take a break – something he strangely and inexplicably over-anxious to do.

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**Note: So, what'd'ya think? Reviews are appreciated. Thanks.**


	3. Chapter 3

Tannen was running late. As he darted around tents and lean-to's he silently cursed his busy schedule. He was currently working at the training grounds and barracks helping Jeb Cain screen army recruits. Right before he'd needed to leave for Queen Lavendar Eyes' council meeting, one of the greener soldiers had run afoul of a training course and sliced open his arm. The poor kid had been so startled he'd set off a panic amongst his peers, making the whole episode much more than it should have been.

The captain thought about complaining, but then he remembered that at least there was no imminent threat against the O.Z. and he could do his job in relative peace and safety.

"Help me! Please! Someone help me, my mother – "

Adrenaline pumping, Tannen changed course and raced toward the sound. Other voices added to the cry of distress, and he felt his stress levels rise.

"Witch! Witch! You should be dead," a wailing female voice cried out, promptly joined by the sobs of at least one other person. Rounding a corner, Tannen slammed into a teenage girl, sobbing helplessly.

"Please, come quickly," she cried.

"What's going on?"

"It's my mother," the girl explained, clutching to Tannen's tunic front. "She's been horribly upset since we came to the camp and I'm afraid she's gone after the princess Azkadelia. She's delirious and doesn't mean any harm – "

Tannen didn't hear the rest of her explanation, he just sprinted for the royal tent. Flying unceremoniously through the door, he skidded to a surprised halt, the girl plowing into his back.

In the middle of the room stood Azkadelia – hair and nightdress a bedraggled mess. She held up a feeble woman who sobbed and weakly hit against her, almost sagging to the floor. DG was crying as well, trying to pull the woman away from her sister but to no avail.

"I'm so sorry," he heard the princess whisper to her attacker. "I do remember what happened to your family, and I'm so sorry."

Tannen strode into the room and neither princess blinked an eye when he pulled the older woman off of Azkadelia, placing her gently into her daughter's arms and instructing her to not go very far.

When he returned to the tent, princesses were clinging to each other and DG was sobbing incoherently to her sister. They both turned to him when he reentered.

"You!" DG cried. "Thank you again for being where we needed someone!" She ran to him and threw her arms around him in a giant hug. Tannen blushed at her brazen display. Wyatt Cain had told him about the princess' predilection for overt displays of affection, and he'd seen the older Cain man suffering silently through several large hugs from DG. Tannen agreed it was rather off-putting to be on the receiving end of such a demonstration.

"You're welcome, your Highness," he said, patting her awkwardly on the back. He looked at the other princess and noticed that she wasn't meeting his eyes.

"You're awake," he said to Azkadelia. This made her blush scarlet and Tannen mentally kicked himself for his breach of ettiquette. Someone like him wasn't supposed to know that a member of the royal family had been unconscious for three days. He watched as she self-conciously ran her hands over hair, the tracks of her tears making her cheeks shine in the evening light.

Tannen shook himself to stop his staring. "I need to go report to the Queen and Prince Consort about what happened with this woman. They'll decide what needs to be done about this whole...incident." He extricated himself from DG's embrace and moved to leave the tent.

Finally, Azkadelia spoke. "No, please, don't tell my parents what's happened! I don't want to create a scene and the woman was rightfully upset and just wanted to...to..."

"Harm you?" Tannen supplied for her. "You are not the sorceress, Princess, and people should not make you pay retribution for her actions!"

The tent went very quiet after his little speech and both women looked at him with shock and awe.

"Do you really believe that?" DG asked.

It took Tannen a moment to realize what he'd said and process his own sincerity.

"I do believe that," he replied. "And I think, given half a chance, others will also." He saw a smile crack across DG's face, but noticed that not a flicker of emotion crossed over Azkadelia's. "Although, back to the point, we do need to tell someone what happened," he continued. "But I will defer to you both as to whom we tell."

DG turned back to her sister and had a hushed conversation that became a small argument. After a few moments, Azkadelia said something to DG that made the younger princess flush scarlet, then she turned around and addressed Tannen.

"I do not wish to add to my parents' stresses at this time," the elder princess said. Though she was visibly shaking, her voice was clear and steady. "Nor do I think the woman meant any harm. She was merely overcome and I don't wish for her grief to be turned into a public spectacle. Although I will admit that my presence here will probably continue to cause similar events and I don't think that it's something my sister and I can handle on our own, so I concede to the wisdom of letting someone know what happened tonight. I would like to enlist the aid of Mr. Cain and his son. DG trusts them both completely and therefore I do as well." A small smile appeared at her lips and her cheeks, previously ashen, took on a faint pink tinge. "Besides, I don't think DG could keep something like this from Mr. Cain anyway. He can spot her moods a mile away."

Tannen nodded, agreeing with their decision completely and thinking – some where in the back of his mind – that the elder princess looked pretty with a touch of color.

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In the end, Azkadelia had been right. The moment Tannen returned with the Tin Man he'd zeroed in on DG and began peppering her with questions. It took hardly any provocation for DG to spill the entire episode and for Cain to lose his cool. And when Cain lost his cool, it brought his son to the tent, followed by the princesses' concerned parents and soon the offending party was summoned and with the distraught woman came her equally distraught family.

Now Tannen found himself in the middle of a large "discussion" and there were several women crying – not the least of which was Queen Lavender Eyes. DG was pacing back and forth between her sister and Wyatt Cain and arguing with her mother, who was trying to simultaneously make arrangements for Cain to remove her daughters to an undisclosed location until the Royal Family got settled again in Central City and refuting all of DG's protests. Ahamo was quietly trying to change his wife's mind, wanting her to keep the family together after such a long separation and Cain and Jeb were discussing adding a Royal Guard unit to the army and the consequences going forward for anyone who attacked one – or both – of the princesses.

Tannen took all this in, and noted that Azkadelia didn't participate in any of the discussions. She continued to shake like a leaf and he caught a couple of pained looks on her face. Skirting around the edge of the group, Tannen respectfully addressed the princess.

"Your Highness, you are obviously not well, may I find you somewhere to sit?"

Azkadelia gasped and turned in surprise to the captain. "No, I'm fine, thank you though," she said, ducking her head to avoid his scrutiny.

Tannen's protest was interrupted by the audible rumbling of the princess' stomach. She turned a stunning shade of red and murmured her apologies. He started to excuse her when realization slapped him upside the head.

"Good gracious Princess!" he cried and grabbed Azkadelia by the elbow. "You probably haven't eaten in more than three days! No wonder you're shaking!" Guiding her to her bed, he gently forced the princess to sit.

"I didn't want to say anything..." Azkadelia motioned feebly to the chattering group in her tent.

"More like you don't have the strength to say anything," Tannen quipped. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a small packet of dried fruit and nuts and handed it to the princess. "It's not much, but if you'll eat this now I'll get you something more substantive in a moment."

Azkadelia looked so grateful and, honestly, so pathetic that he couldn't help the surge of pity he felt for her. Leaving her to her food, he stood and cleared his throat.

"Excuse me?" he addressed the group, a little timidly. No one noticed him.

"Excuse me?" he tried again. Nothing.

"EXCUSE ME?"

His last attempt to get everyone's attention silenced the group and everyone turned to him. Between the forceful gaze the older Cain and the regal annoyance from the queen, Tannen almost lost his nerve. Fortunately, a small crunching sound from behind him reminded him that this particular tent probably wasn't the best place for the O.Z.'s next war to be playing out and he wound his courage tightly.

"I beg your Majesty's pardon, but your daughter has been asleep for three days and could use some food and drink and quiet to gain back her strength. Might I suggest we take this meeting elsewhere?"

Everyone stared dumbly at him for a moment before the group erupted in profuse apologies and prolific concern for Azkadelia – whom it seemed they'd forgotten.

The queen knelt by her daughter and smoothed down her hair. With an assurance that she would personally secure her daughter some refreshment and better protection, she kissed Azkadelia on the cheek and left the tent, followed by Wyatt Cain, who looked like a thundercloud. Jeb escorted the distraught woman and her children from the tent and DG flopped down by Az and snuggled next to her sister's side. With a frown the Prince Consort kissed both his daughter's and left the tent, muttering something about making sure his daughter got some dinner. Tannen hovered for a moment, unsure of whether he should stay or go.

Once the tent was cleared DG flopped back on Azkadelia's bed.

"Well, that went well," she groaned sarcastically.

Azkadelia gingerly patted her sister's shoulder before digging something out of the little packet of food and popping it into her mouth. "It will all work out just fine, you'll see."

DG rolled her eyes. "No, having everything work out just fine would have been if we just let that lady go, like you wanted." With a gasp, the younger princess turned on Tannen. "You!" she cried, pointing a finger in accusation. "You were the one all het up about telling Cain. This whole mess...I blame on you, Mr...Mr...What's your name?"

Despite her fiery recriminations, Tannen laughed at the picture the spunky young woman made. "My name is Tannen Evergreen. Captain Evergreen, of the resis – er, your mother's Royal Army, your Highness."

DG waved away the formal title. "I'm just DG and this is Azkadelia." The woman paused, considering something. "Although you probably knew that."

"I did," Tannen replied, bowing slightly.

"Well, anyway, thanks for getting everybody all bent out of shape Tannen," DG spit at the captain, ready to be angry again now the the pleasantries were past.

"DG," Azkadelia admonished quietly. "He did what he thought was right. And it's not like Cain wouldn't have figured out what happened anyway."

"But now mother wants to send us away and we just got here and – "

DG's frustrations were interrupted by the return of Ahamo, with a platter full of food and drinks. "I'm so glad to see you up my heart," he said to his eldest daughter, his previous frown having disappeared. "I'm sorry we neglected your for so long."

"Think nothing of it father," Az said with a small smile. "It worked out all right in the end."

"Come girls, let's have something to eat," the Consort said jovially. He set the tray down on a chair, stood with a groan and noticed Tannen standing near the door. "Young man, would you care to join us?"

"Ahamo, this is Tannen," DG interjected. "_Captain_ Tannen." Tannen refrained from rolling his eyes at the obvious jab from the princess. It was clear she still wasn't happy with him.

"Ah, well, Captain, would you like a bite to eat?"

"No, thank you Your Highness, I cannot. I will bid you all a good night." Before he left, Azkadelia called softly to him.

"Captain Evergreen?"

He turned to see her rising from the bed.

"I would like you to let the Jeb Cain know that I do not want that woman punished in anyway."

"I'm not sure that's something – "

"Please, just tell them tonight, will you? Tomorrow when I'm feeling better I'll go discuss it with my mother, but for now, I want to make sure she receives no punishment. Not for my sake."

"Yes your Highness."

Tannen ducked out of the tent with a strange thrumming in his ears and one thought in his head: _He was absolutely certain Azkadelia wasn't the sorceress._

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**Author's Note: The sound track I'm listening to while editing is my dog barking. But I'm too lazy to get up and make him be quiet. Gosh, a beagle's incessant bark is really inspirational! {Sarcasm}**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tin Man and just use the characters for some good, clean, carpel-tunnel-causing, fun.**

Azkadelia groaned in relief as she slid down into her tub. The stress of another record-breakingly long day washed off of her like so many soapy bubbles.

It had been almost two months since her mother had bundled everyone up, ordered the ransacked tower destroyed and marched everyone back to Central City. Azkadelia was amazed by what her mother could accomplish when she set her mind to it – something she hadn't realized as a child, but could appreciate and feel thankful for as an adult.

With a sigh, the princess leaned back against the sloped side of the tub. She cast her mind back to the endless meetings she'd sat through over the past few weeks: planning meetings, council meetings, army meetings, agricultural meetings and business meetings; not to mention the parades of nobles and noted citizens returning from exile or from obscurity who wanted to pledge themselves to the O.Z. and the House of Gale again. And then there were the meetings just she and DG had about their own private security – of which Cain was in charge. Luckily, those meetings were the highlight of Az's schedule, the ex-tin man was always brief and to the point, and Az's guards never had anything to say to her anyway. The meetings were always over by the time she'd gotten settled into her chair.

Her mother never asked her to be front and center at the meetings – allowing her time to return to her own. For many of them, she sat in the empty gallery above the proceedings, just observing life in the O.Z. come back together. She still felt weak and tired most of the time, and if truth be told she struggled to face the fear and distrust she often saw in people's eyes. She especially struggled to face the pain and heartbreak so many people wore over them like a cloak of sorrow.

So she stayed on the outskirts of all the planning and preparations, spending her days with DG at her lessons and trying to help her mother wherever she could.

_DG_.

Another sigh escaped Azkadelia's lips over thoughts of her sister. The poor girl was finding it difficult to adjust to life here at the palace. With most of her memories gone, DG couldn't reconcile herself to life with so many people to answer to or answering to her. And then there was the restrictive schedule. Lavender Eyes seemed to think that her youngest daughter needed to catch up on a decade of lost time in a crash course of magic, court ettiquette, O.Z. history and dancing lessons. Az was always glad to accompany her sister, but the endless tutorings tried the Other Sider's patience to the max. And that didn't even begin to describe the emotional state DG was in over the endless battles with their mother over her clothing. If it wasn't such a sore spot with both DG and the queen, it would be ridiculously funny.

Actually, the first time Az had really broke out in laughter since the eclipse was a few days previous, in the middle of one of DG's fittings. Az chuckled to herself at the memory.

She'd been sitting on a plush chaise lounge in the royal seamstress' office, waiting for her sister to try on some new dresses, and Cain had plopped down next to her with a nod and a small smile. DG came out from behind the changing screen in a ruffly and poofy blue gown – wholly unsuited for the no frills-raised girl – with a look of pure torture on her face. Cain had excused himself quickly, but not before Azkadelia had seen tears of mirth rolling down his face and his shoulders shaking in silent laughter. Her stomached flopped in a weird way and a strangled sound escaped her throat. She covered it with a cough and ignored it. Just as DG was ready to rip the dress from her body, Lavender Eyes had entered the room and started gushing over how lovely her youngest daughter looked and that tipped DG over the edge. Something about the whole situation just flipped a switch in Azkadelia and she'd started to laugh. It was small giggles at first – they'd felt foreign in her body. As her mother's face got more and more pinched and DG got more and more red, Azkadelia laughed harder and harder. By the time she fell over onto the chaise, the other three women were looking strangely at her.

"Are you all right Azkadelia?" her mother asked her, concern on her face.

"Yes!" the princess gasped. "It's...just...so...funny!"

The seamstress had stomped her foot indignantly, but Az couldn't find the decorum to feel properly repentant at the moment.

"Az, what are you going on about?" DG asked.

"Cain...tears...frills...ridiculous..." Az couldn't even catch her breath to explain what was all so hysterical.

For a moment, the room was silent but for Azkadelia's merry laughter. And then, DG seemed to lose all her steam and find the humor in the moment. Picking helplessly at the gown, she started to laugh too. She jumped down from the fitting stool and joined her sister on the lounge, laughing hysterically.

"Honestly girls, I don't know what you find so funny," the queen had remanded her daughters. With a roll of her light-colored eyes, she instructed the seamstress to try a different gown on her daughter when the girls had calmed down. She left her grown children still cackling, with tears rolling down their faces.

That had been one of the easiest moments Az had had in her own skin since the eclipse. Just remembering it sent waves of peace through her extremities. She tried not to burden her family, nor did she want to scare anyone, but she spent most of her time feeling strangely hollow – like the sorceress had taken everything inside of her when the light forced her away and left Azkadelia a functioning, but empty vessel.

And then there were the nightmares. Screaming, bloody, horrifying nightmares plagued her sleep – remembrances of all the witch's evil deeds. As their rooms were connected by a shared sitting room, sometimes DG could hear her sister and would come in to comfort her. But Az knew the younger princess suffered from her own nightmares and spent a good amount of time in her sister's bedroom soothing her. It was a vicious cycle, but Az didn't see how to break it.

She refused to meet with a Viewer – her memories of the torture the sorceress put on the gentle people was enough to want to keep them far from her pain. And she struggled to talk to her mother still – there was a level of betrayal there that hadn't quite healed over. And the pain and guilt in her father's face over any reference to Az's time locked away inside herself at the mercy of the witch made the Prince Consort's eyes mist over with tears. She much preferred to spend her time with her father reliving happier times and making new memories.

And so Azkadelia spent her time quietly unhappy in her own skin, uneasy with the world around her, and at an impasse with it's inhabitants.

Stirring from her thoughts, the princess realized that the water in her bath had gone cold. She thought about a quick spell to warm it up, but didn't want to end up like a wrinkled grape, so she flipped the drain and stepped from the tub, wrapping herself in a fluffy robe. Padding quietly to her room, she tried to pick a book from the ones she'd brought from the library, but nothing exciting presented itself. Deciding to find something that would interest her, Az changed into something a little more appropriate and stepped out of her room. Her guards came to attention.

"Good evening your Highness," the one named Seth greeted her.

"Good evening, gentlemen," Az replied. "I was thinking of heading to the library..."

"It's rather late, Highness," the other guard – Runsfield – said. "Can we get something for you? Be of any assistance?"

"No, no it's all right," Az assured them. Something in their demeanor made her lose her nerve. "Actually, I just remembered, I do have just what I need. Thank you anyway." She ducked back inside her room and sighed. Sometimes she wished she was more like DG – not caring what people thought about her.

Down the hall, DG sighed sadly after witnessing the exchange before continuing around the corner. She greeted Az's guards and headed to her room. She knew she'd find Cain waiting inside with a good grump on, and she supposed she deserved it. Honestly, any other time she could find it in herself to be sufficiently sorry for sneaking off from her session with Tutor, but tonight, after what she'd witnessed in her sister's interactions with her guards, a sneaking suspicion quickly grew into a full-blown concern.

With a groan, she pushed her bedroom door open and braced for the lecture that surely waited on the other side.

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As it happened, Cain hadn't been waiting for DG. He _had_ left a simple _You're in trouble_ note for her, but she hadn't seen him later that night and not at all this morning. So, she made an appearance at his office early. Skipping a greeting, she breezed through the door and flopped down on one of the chairs in front of his desk.

Without looking up from the paperwork he was working on, Cain admonished the princess. "I thought you were supposed to be at a dance lesson for another 45 minutes."

DG sighed. "It was lame and my dance partner wasn't any good, so I snuck out while Madame Previa was teaching Azkadelia the latest waltz variations." Her tone told him just what she thought of the latest O.Z. dance craze.

Cain sighed and put his pen down. "Really, kid, you're making my job insanely difficult. How am I going to get anything done if you keep disappearing on me?"

Looking put out, the princess held up her fingers to refute her friend. "You are wrong on two points there, mister," she sassed. "First, I never disappear on _you_, I only disappear when you leave me with other guards and that's because you only ever leave me with other guards when it's the boring stuff, and if you get to skip that, I should get to skip it also! It's only fair."

"But you're a Princess of the – "

"Of the Realm, yes, yes I know," DG said with the air of someone suffering. Her brows furrowed in frustration and Cain's heart flipped. Some day he'd admit to himself that she was cute when she was mad. "But that doesn't mean I'm cut from the right cloth for it."

"You're doing just fine, darlin'," Cain quietly reassured the princess. "Don't worry if everything doesn't work out right at the first try."

DG didn't answer him, she just shrugged and let out a heavy breath.

"What's the second point?" Cain asked, moving on.

"Huh?"

"You said I was wrong on two points..."

"Oh, right," DG chirped, remembering why she'd snuck out of her lesson in the first place. "I am not trying to make your job difficult, I need to talk to you alone and that never happens when I'm flying around to lessons and teas and meetings all the time. So, I improvised," she explained with a delicate wave of her hand.

Cain realized that in the few months since they'd been back in Central City it seemed like they were always on the run. It felt like an eternity since he'd had a moment just to sit under the suns and watch the world float by. Come to think of it...it _had been_ an eternity since he'd had a free moment under the sky. No wonder DG constantly wandered off. She wasn't accustomed to the rigid, structured lifestyle of royalty. Shaking his head, he focused on the princess, who was waiting patiently for him to come back from his mental side track.

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Az hates her bodyguards," DG said without ceremony.

This surprised Cain. In all their security meetings, he never caught any displeasure from the elder princess. "What? What happened? What did she say?"

"Oh, nothing has happened, and she didn't say anything, I just know she does."

The ex-tin man grumbled some oaths under his breath. "Let me get this straight. You're telling me your sister – who hasn't said anything to you and you haven't witnessed anything happening with her – doesn't like her guards?"

"Yes, that's right."

Cain glared at the princess for a moment, then picked up his pen and resumed his paperwork.

"Come on Cain," DG whined. "You gotta believe me."

"No Kid, I don't," Cain retorted. "Azkadelia has some of the best soldiers in the O.Z. watching out for her and I'm not gonna replace them!"

DG stood up and slapped her hands on Cain's desk. "I'm telling you she's unhappy and you gotta do something about it!"

"Why would she be unhappy? Are they disrespectful to her?"

"No."

"Are they polite and helpful?"

"Yes."

"Are they vigilant?"

"I guess."

"Then there's no problem."

"Yes there is Cain! Az hasn't come out of her room since we got back to the castle."

Cain rolled his eyes and focused harder on his paperwork. "Don't be silly DG, she's at a dance lesson right now – _out of her room._"

"No, that's not what I meant!" DG stalked around the desk and pulled the man from his chair. When she had him standing and her hands grasping his lapels she did her best to shake him. "Just listen. They aren't rude or anything, but they look at her funny and it's making her paranoid, so she never leaves her room unless I'm there with her."

Grabbing the princess' hands, he very gently removed them from his shirt front and calmly threaded one of them through his arm. Obviously she was worked up about something that truly bothered her and Cain couldn't help himself wanting to soothe her distress.

"Why don't you show me what you mean darlin' and I'll make it right – even if it's just to knock some heads together."

DG looked up at the tin man and smiled softly. "Thank you Cain," she whispered, very aware of her hand against his arm and his own warm fingers over her own.

Before they'd even made it down the hallway, the young man Wyatt had assigned to watch over DG flew around the corner.

"Commander Cain, I can't find the prin...cess," he finished lamely, coming to a halt against the corridor wall.

"Take a break Roberts," Cain called to the guard as they passed him. "I got this for now."

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It took a lot of squawking and poking and shushing before Cain had DG in a place hidden enough to observe Azkadelia and her guards' interactions as they left the ballroom. Cain finally dragged a chair over so DG could have the vantage point she wanted. He almost clamped his hand over her mouth on several occasions to keep the guards, standing outside the ballroom entrance, from noticing them.

Finally, the lesson was over and the doors opened to reveal the eldest Gale princess. The two guards snapped to attention as Azkadelia walked between them.

"Thanks for waiting, sorry about the commotion with DG running off," she quipped to the two men.

Neither man said anything, but both politely acknowledged the princess' apology with a nod. With a flood of awareness, Cain understood what DG meant.

It wasn't that the guards were disrespectful of the princess – but they were intimidated. And it wasn't that they weren't polite – but they were cold. And they _were_ vigilant – but they seemed more intent on protecting each other from Azkadelia rather than the other way around. The kid was right, she needed someone else to guard her.

With a sigh, Cain tugged DG down from her perch and pressed a kiss to her temple. "I'll fix this DG. Right away."

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Tannen shifted his weight ever so slightly from one foot to the other. He'd been on his feet for more than 12 hours now and it took all his self-control not to squirm. When he'd taken the assignment as Royal Guard for the King and Queen Jeb had practically begged him on bended knees to stay as a Captain in the army with him, but Tannen was ready for a break from fighting services – and all the memories associated with it. Besides, it had been a great honor to be picked by Wyatt Cain – the man selected by the Queen to stand guard over the Royal family. There were drawbacks to the job, he knew them coming in, but being Lieutenant Commander of the Royal Guard had easily outstripped any of those.

Shifting his weight again, Tannen struggled to remember why he'd cared about the prestige of his current position at all. His main assignment consisted of guarding the Queen and Consort while they worked in their offices and apparently the Queen was prepping for another all-niter because Tannen had been on duty since before the first sunup and Lavender Eyes had just ordered dinner to be brought in to her meeting with the Prince Consort and several advisors and Lords. Judging by the caliber of hot air Tannen let pass through to the Royal offices a few hours ago, he'd still be standing guard long past midnight – without a break in sight.

Just when some of his most ridiculous escape plans started to sound viable, a page showed up, accompanied by another member of the Royal Guard. Tannen felt a glimmer of hope – could this be a reprieve?

"Lt. Commander Evergreen, Commander Cain would like to speak with you in his office right away."

"I'll finish your shift here, Tannen," the other guard said.

"Thanks Roberts," Tannen said sincerely before following the page down the hallway. "Oh, by the way," he called over his shoulder. "The Queen's in a meeting with the Economic Advisor and Lord Penningson. They've _only_ been in there for about 3 hours...so..."

Tannen grinned at the distressed look on the other man's face and thanked the gods he got away.

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"You wanted to see me, sir?"

Cain looked up to find his lieutenant commander standing in his doorway. "Yes, come in Evergreen, thanks for getting here so fast."

Tanned entered the room and saw Princess Azkadelia sitting on the far side of the commander's desk, previously hidden by the door.

"Oh, your Highness," he said, sketching a small bow. "How are you doing today?"

"I'm fine thank you," Azkadelia replied. "How are you Captain?"

DG appeared at Tannen's side, startling him. "He's a Lieutenant Commander now, Az," she told her sister, but busily scrutinized the man in front of her.

"Oh, that's wonderful. Congratulations," Az added sincerely, while staring at her sister, brows drawn together in confusion.

Tannen watched warily as the younger princess circled him and studied him. "Am – am I interrupting something?" he asked.

"I don't know," DG asked, backing the lieutenant into the chair next to her sister's. "Are you?"

Tannen looked to Azkadelia for some sort of explanation, but she just shrugged daintily. Cain rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair with a sigh.

"Enough kid," he said to DG. "Are you satisfied? Would this be a good change?"

DG squinted between Tannen and her sister for a few more seconds before apparently making up her mind. "Yep," she quipped. Reaching over, she grabbed Azkadelia by the hand and pulled her up. "Let's go Az," she said, dragging the woman from the room.

The men heard the older princess complaining to her sister for dragging her out of the library just to act strangely in Cain's office. DG started complaining right back and the good-natured banter faded down the hallway.

"What's going on Commander?" Tannen asked when he couldn't hear the princesses anymore.

"Try just Cain, or Wyatt if you're especially brave," Cain requested. Tannen tried not to balk at the request, but it would take some time to not be too intimidated by his friend's father. "Anyway, Evergreen, I'm going to change your assignment."

"Is there something wrong sir, er, Wy-Cain?"

The older man chuckled at the younger man's struggle. "Well, to be honest we're having some problems fitting guards with Azkadelia. The other men are good soldiers, but they don't seem to really trust her. And though I understand their fear, I think it's only fair to Azkadelia that she be surrounded by people who at the very least believe in her. DG thinks that you would be the best guard for her sister, and I'm inclined to agree."

"Me? On princess duty?" Tannen asked, slightly aghast. As Cain's second-in-command, he saw the hoops his boss had to jump through to keep DG from causing a scandal. "I'm not sure I'm cut of for that, Commander."

Cain laughed. "Trust me, compared to her sister, I think guarding Azkadelia will be a walk in the park. She goes where she's told and doesn't complain – at least where I can hear her. I understand from DG that she hardly ever leaves her room or the library, so I think you'll have it easy."

"I don't know..."

"Tannen," Cain said with a sigh. "Do you believe that the witch is gone from Azkadelia?"

"I do sir. Do you?"

"I do, but that's neither here nor there. DG – and incidentally I am also – is interested in surrounding her sister with supportive influences until she can regain her footing a little. I'm not asking you to be a healer or a viewer, just...just don't act like the world needs protecting _from_ the princess. Got it?"

It was a loaded request, and Tannen wasn't sure he could truthfully fill the assignment. How was he to know if the princess could tell if he believed her? He hesitated so long, Cain started to lose his patience.

"Right, listen Evergreen: would you _really_ rather be stuck with the 'honor' of standing at attention outside the Royal offices for the foreseeable future? At least with this assignment you'll get regular meals, get your own private room and get to sit down sometimes."

Tannen's feet reminded him that he had indeed been on them all day. And all the day before that...and the all the day before that as well. It was a good enough argument, despite the fact that he didn't feel qualified.

"I'll take it boss," he said quickly, feeling nerves flutter in his stomach. Or it could have just been that he hadn't eaten since that morning. Either way he had a feeling that he was in way over his head.

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**Reviews are appreciated! And loved, and cherished, and held dear. So thanks if you leave one!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: So I'm using some military titles in this chap, more than I did before. I've no idea if it's right, but just go with it. Also, I think this chap is a bit long, but as I'm editing for length, I just wanted to combine two shorter sections into one longer one. Sorry if it's a bit much. **

**Insert standard non-ownership disclaimer here.**

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DG sat quietly on her sister's bed, waiting for her to slip her shoes on.

"What's going on DG?" Az asked. "You've been acting so weird today."

"Hardly weirder than usual," the younger princess replied. "And nothing's going on, Cain just needs to meet with us for a minute. He's just out in the sitting room, so I don't know why you have to put on your shoes."

Az finished buckling her shoe and straightened, putting her hands on her hips. Affecting DG's etiquette teacher's slight lisp, Az mockingly scolded her sister.

"A well-bred lady of the court _never_ goes about unshod!"

DG laughed and pulled her sister toward the sitting room door. "Unshod," she chuckled. "Who uses that term for humans anyway?"

When they entered the room still giggling, Cain and Tannen stood.

"Good evening Azkadelia," Cain greeted the princess.

"Hello Mr. Cain, how was your day?" Az asked.

"Just fine, thanks."

"What?" DG interjected with a teasing glint to her eye. "No hello for me _Mr. _Cain?"

"You got a hello earlier, Kid, don't be greedy," the tin man replied.

"Yes, but we haven't seen each other for over _two hours_. It's been a lifetime," DG flopped dramatically to the couch and Tannen saw his boss roll his eyes and sigh. He marveled at the easy relationship between the commander and the princess. Briefly, he wondered if things would ever get like that between him and Azkadelia, but he brushed the thought aside.

"Now, Az," Cain continued. "I wanted to let you know that we are going to be switching out your guards."

"Switching out...is everything all right?" the older princess asked, concern apparent.

"Oh, yes," Cain quickly reassured her. "We're just needing some change ups in the rotation and Seth and Runsfield's skills are needed elsewhere. My second in command, Lt. Commander Evergreen, will be taking their place."

The lie came out smoothly enough, even DG was impressed, but everyone quickly saw that Azkedelia didn't buy it. Her eyes squinted at her sister's guard.

"Commander Cain, what's really going on here?" she asked warily.

Cain hesitated just a moment too long, but before Az could call him out, DG came to the rescue.

"All right, it's me!" she cried, flinging herself against her sister. "I absolutely despised both your guards. They...they _glared_ every time I walked by and it was making me self-conscious."

Azkadelia turned her suspicious squint on her sister, then looked at Tannen. "Are you all right with this change Lt. Commander?"

"Of course. Your Highness," he tacked on for good measure.

"Hmmmmm," she stewed for a moment. "You're the only one I do believe," she finally said to him.

DG protested loudly and Cain attempted to reassure the princess that the change was well-intentioned. Az held up her hands, stopping the ruckus.

"I'm fine with whatever you think is best for me Commander," she said once her sister had quieted down. She put her arm around DG and gently squeezed. "Besides, I think I know why the change was necessary and I love you for thinking of me." She stood and acknowledged both men for standing with her. "Thank you Mr. Cain for taking good care of me and my family. Lieutenant Commander, if you don't mind, I think I'll have DG show you to your quarters? I'm feeling very tired just now. Good night everyone."

"Of course your Highness, good night," Tannen said.

Giving her sister a kiss on the cheek she retired to her bedroom. Azkadelia didn't stop to think or feel or process. She just laid down on her bed and let herself fall into oblivion.

)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)

In the sitting room, DG and Cain were standing near each other, talking quietly.

"That went rather well, don't you think?" DG whispered.

"What were you expectin' darlin'? That she would pitch a fit?"

Brow furrowed, DG hummed on that thought for a moment. "No, I suppose not. I guess I just thought that if it was me in her shoes and someone was replacing you I would be super pissed."

"Super pissed?" Cain asked.

"Mad as hell," DG explained.

"Ah, great phrase, I'm sure your mother loves it," Wyatt intoned.

"I don't say it in front of her," DG shot back.

They continued to argue for a moment before Tannen decided to break it up with a solid clearing of his throat.

DG whirled around. "Oh, yeah, Tannen. Hey, let me show you to your room." She bent down to grab his duffel bag, but thought twice when she could barely heft it off the floor. "Or, you guys can get this and I'll just lead the way."

Tannen's room was small, but nice – just off of Azkadelia's on the opposite side of the joint sitting room. There was a small door hidden in the paneling of the wall that led to the princess' room – it had no lock on either side.

Commander Cain had already inspected the bedroom and sitting room and detailed the security strengths and weaknesses to his lieutenant, so it was now up to Tannen to use that information to keep his charge safe. DG wandered around the room and bathroom, explaining where everything was but Tannen only half listened to her instructions. His nerves were making themselves known in his stomach again.

But when the princess planted herself in front of Tannen, hands on her hips, he brought his full focus around again.

"Basically you need to do two things: one – make sure no one tries to hurt Azkadelia and two – if she has a nightmare at night and I haven't shown up after about three minutes, you come and get me. Got it?"

Tannen nodded hesitantly.

"No," DG snapped at him. "No hesitation. I don't care if it's her tenth episode of the night or if I've barely gone to sleep. If I'm not already there, just bust down my door and wake me up, okay?"

"Yes, your Highness, I will."

That seemed to appease DG and she bade him good night and good luck and then left his room.

Cain moved to follow her but turned around at the last minute.

"About the nightmare thing..." Wyatt said, hesitating a little.

"I will go get her, I promise."

"No, actually, I'm asking that you don't. The kid's got nightmares of her own to deal with and, I don't know...I mean, if Azkadelia can wake up on her own or if you could just wake her up...I don't know...then it might be best not to wear DG down anymore." He ran a hand over his eyes. "I guess I'm just asking you to use your best judgment. If you need DG, come and get her, but...just use your best judgment."

The lieutenant nodded and his boss left him alone. The whole exchange freaked him out. Now he _KNEW_ he was in over his head.

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A short week later, Tannen awoke with the rays of the first sun. He yawned and stretched before launching himself out of bed. He was _not_ a morning person, and if he didn't start out like a shot, he would never get anything done. One hundred push ups, some stretches and 30 quick minutes in the bathroom later, Tannen exited his room and headed to the princesses' sitting room for some newspaper reading and coffee with his boss while they waited for Azkadelia and DG to join them. After the girls arrived, breakfast was on. The queen didn't insist on her daughters showing up for breakfasts unless there was a distinguished guest to entertain, so the princesses normally ate in their sitting room, in the relative quiet before they were whisked off to their daily grind.

Life on princess-duty was nothing like Tannen worried it would be. Though Azkadelia tagged along with her sister to most of her lessons, the lieutenant didn't have to deal with any DG-antics at all. So what if the younger princess set something on fire during a magic lesson, Cain would take care of it. And if the son of a respected duke got poked in the eye during tea, Cain would take care of it. Or if DG cracked a joke that smacked of Other Side peculiarities, Cain would take care of it. And when the queen and her youngest daughter started to go rounds about the mysterious tear in DG's ballgown... well, at that point Cain would disappear and Azkadelia would step in, which meant Tannen had to be there. But he _still_ _didn't have to deal with it._

And the nightmares that had everyone wound up so tight his first few nights? The princess hadn't had a single one – and he was sure because sheer panic had kept him in a light sleep for the first four nights of his new job. Cain said DG had had a couple one night, but nothing too severe – it didn't even wake up her sister or Tannen. In fact, Azkadelia hadn't asked for anything at all from him, he just followed her like a shadow from the sitting room to the library or from her parents' quarters to the gallery above the legislature rooms.

Yes sir, being Azkadelia's body guard was the easiest, cushiest job Tannen Evergreen had ever had, and he was in _heaven._

Oh, there were a couple of things that pinged off his conscious now and again, but nothing that kept him from counting his lucky stars that he had a wonderful position. It was hard not to gloat when he got together with Jeb on his days off – his poor friend worked so hard training soldiers under the hot suns – but he managed to keep it together so as not to sound like jerk. Hey, Jeb could have had this job if he'd wanted it – Tannen was sure his father had offered it to him – but Jeb preferred to make his own way, so he'd picked the army to lead.

After a while, DG and Azkadelia joined Cain and Tannen and breakfast was served.

"What are you doing first today DG?" Tannen asked the younger princess while she buttered her toast. Tannen had finally acquiesced to the woman's demands that he drop her formal title and it greatly improved her attitude toward him.

DG sighed. "I have a dress fitting. Mother wants me to have a new ballgown for the 'Event'." Her disgusted emphasis on her coined term for the ball her mother was throwing in a few weeks time to reintroduce the O.Z. to her daughters made everyone smile into their tea cups or coffee mugs.

"You'll be lovely," Az assured her sister. "I already talked to the seamstress and stressed your desire for something simple yet elegant. I think I got her onto our side of the issue."

"See kid?" Cain interjected. "There's no reason for you to make this into some sort of war. Your sister took care of everything."

"Fine, I'll go and I will be pleasant," DG conceded. "Thanks Az."

"You're welcome."

"Are you getting a new dress, Princess?" Cain asked Azkadelia.

"I already went in for my fitting yesterday," Az replied. "That's when I talked to the seamstress."

"You had your fitting yesterday and yet the palace alarms didn't go off? Nothing exploded and no one got maimed or injured? What a wonderful thing." Though he spoke to the eldest princess, his sarcasm was obviously aimed at DG.

"Don't talk at me like that Wyatt Cain," DG said haughtily. "I already promised I would go today without a fight."

"And I already promised I would clean up the after-effects of anything you start with Madame Elle so I'm just reminding you that you _can_ be nice to that woman and make my life easier too."

DG stuck her tongue out at Cain and their banter continued, but Azkadelia and Tannen had learned to ignore them when they were like this. This was how the ex-tin man and transplanted princess showed they were happy.

After breakfast wound down the men escorted the princesses to the seamstress' offices and promised to return for them in an hour, barring any disasters – "Natural or unnatural," Wyatt clarified for DG.

The fitting did indeed go fairly seamlessly and DG had no qualms about crowing over Commander Cain over lunch, though her mother and father continuously reminded her about proper decorum.

"Well, Mr. Cain," the princess said at the end of lunch, daintily setting her napkin down. "I'm due for a lesson with Tutor on the history of nobility in the O.Z. in about fifteen minutes. Would you care to accompany me?"

"I don't know if I need to, your Highness," Cain grumbled. "Can you get there without getting lost or sidetracked?"

"Oh, yes, please dear, you must finish these lessons with Tutor," Queen Lavender Eyes admonished her daughter. "We've got the ball coming up and you'll be meeting so many people, it will engender good will if you can at least recognize some of the older family names."

The queen sounded a little stressed, and DG lost all her tease. She stood up and went around the table to give her mother a hug. "Of course I'll go mother," she said. "I'm sorry to worry you, I promise I was just joking around."

"Oh, don't be sorry dear," her mother said. "_I'm _sorry. I'm just a little preoccupied with all the ball preparations, I'd like everything to be perfect."

"It will be, mother, it will." With that assurance, DG kissed the queen and the Consort on the cheeks and walked toward the door. Cain stood up and followed her, excusing himself quietly. Tannen watched DG give Cain a sad smile as they left the room and he brushed his fingers down her arm reassuringly. The lieutenant wondered what confidences of the princess his boss held. He looked over and saw Azkadelia watching the pair too, her head tipped a little to the side. He wondered if she had anyone – other than her sister – to listen to her most private thoughts.

The dining room cleared out fairly quickly after that DG left. Only Azkadelia stayed put, stirring a small bowl of raspberry sorbet into oblivion. With a jolt, Tannen realized that this was the first time he'd been alone with the princess since that day on the battlefield. His nerves returned en mass – so much for conquering them, he thought. For a moment, he felt as paralyzed by inaction has he had also been that day.

"_It's now or never!"_

The familiar words rang through his mind, jump-starting something in him just as they had a few months ago. Clearing his throat, he heeded his own call to action.

"So, what is on the agenda this afternoon, your Highness?"

The sound in the previously quiet room startled the princess, but she returned his apologetic smile.

"Nothing much," she said quietly. "Mother didn't schedule any meetings for the next few days that don't pertain to the ball, so I'm sort of...on my own."

Tannen waited patiently while Azkadelia picked at her dessert.

"I'll probably just go read or take a nap," she decided after a few minutes, though Tannen thought she sounded unsure of her plan. After some more swipes at her dessert, she pushed it aside and stood up.

"Yes, I think I'll take a nap, I guess."

The lieutenant fell in step beside the princess as they wandered back to her suite. Azkadelia seemed a bit aimless, so Tannen decided to bring something up that had been niggling at the back of his mind for a few days.

"You know your Highness, you don't have to stay cooped up in your rooms when DG is busy," he ventured carefully.

Azkadelia stiffened beside him. "I know that," she said stonily.

"Yes but wouldn't you like to get out and do something _other than _read a book or take a nap?"

"Yes, but I just don't like seeing – " she stopped abruptly and sucked in a hurried breath. Tannen opened the sitting room door and briefly checked the room before ushering the princess inside. Azkadelia passed by him silently and when she'd gotten almost to her bedroom, Tannen decided to put it all out there.

"I'm your bodyguard, Princess Azkadelia, not your jailor. And this isn't your prison."

She'd reached her bedroom door. She turned the knob and started to push the it open. Just as Tannen thought he'd offended her, she whispered something he almost didn't catch.

"You have no idea."

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	6. Chapter 6

**A couple of disclaimers: 1) I don't own anything having to do with Tin Man. Mad props to those that do. 2) I only edited this 2 times – not my typical 4 times. All mistakes are embarrassingly mine.**

_You have no idea._

Tannen had no idea what Azkadelia meant by that, but he had a feeling he had largely underestimated just how simple this job was going to be.

The princess kept to her room for the rest of the afternoon. When she didn't come down for dinner, DG sought out her sister and stayed holed up with her until late into the evening. Cain waited in the sitting room, a calm visage to Tannen's anxious pacing.

"Everything all right, Evergreen?" Wyatt asked quietly.

"Yes, sir, just a little worried about the princess," Tannen said.

Cain didn't reply to that; he sat, deep in thought for a moment. When he did speak, it was with the straight-forward wisdom and practicality that won the ex-tin man the favor of the crown.

"Azkadelia has been through a lot, Lieutenant. Not everyday will be as good as the last few have been. Just keep doing your job, and use your best judgment."

Before Tannen could assure his boss that he would, DG slipped back into the room.

"She's okay," the princess assured the men as she sank onto the couch next to Cain. "Just feeling a little blue." A string of sneezes followed this statement.

"Are _you_ okay?" the commander asked her.

"Yes, just an itchy nose," DG assured him. "And I'm tired." With a yawn, she reached over to a table and grabbed a large book.

"What are you doing?" Cain asked, obviously exasperated.

DG rolled her eyes. "My _homework_. Tutor assigned me a bunch of reading before 'The Event'. It's history," she said, hefting the book in her annoyance.

Cain swiped the book from her and tossed it over to a chair.

"Cain!" DG protested followed by another sneeze.

"I think it's time you went to bed," the commander said, standing and holding out his hand for her.

"But I told Tutor I'd get that reading – "

"I'll deal with the mutt," Cain assured her, reaching down and grabbing her elbow to try to get her off the couch.

"But I promised Mother..."

"I'll talk to Her Majesty if she is angry," Cain said. DG was now standing and he pulled her toward her bedroom door.

"But..." her next protest dissolved into sneezes.

With a groan, Cain reached down and scooped the princess up into his arms. "No more buts," he said. "You're going to bed tonight and we'll deal with what comes tomorrow."

DG couldn't protest as she dissolved into a fit of sneezing and yawning. Cain kicked her door open and kicked it shut behind them, leaving Tannen alone in the sitting room. He heard some protests and low arguing, then silence.

A few minutes later, the ex-tin man appeared again. He scooped up the book he'd taken from DG. "If she sneaks out here looking for this, tell her I've hidden it until she gets some sleep." And with that terse instruction, he left the room.

Tannen sat quietly for a few more minutes before he decided to turn in as well.

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_The sorceress laughed maniacally as she drained the very life force from her. Azkadelia tried to fight her, but her arms wouldn't move and her voice seemed locked in her throat. Turning her head she saw DG trapped behind some kind of glass. She could see her sister screaming for her, but couldn't hear anything._

"_You are nothing!" the witch hissed at Azkadelia. "You never were and you never will be now that I'm gone!"_

_Az felt the last of her Light slip from her and she watched as the Sorceress turned away from her. She was helpless as the witch darkened the suns and swept her evil force over the land – killing everyone in sight._

_With all the strain she could manage, she screamed for her sister. "Help me DG!" Her cry had been a mistake, for the witch turned her attentions to DG – caught in a glass box._

"_Now I'll take from her what I took from you," the sorceress sneered and advanced on DG._

_Her fear for her sister spurred feeble life back into Az's limbs and the princess came to her feet in a panic. She chased after the sorceress as fast as she could, but was increasingly frightened as the witch seemed to get ever closer to DG, but Az couldn't close the distance between them. She heard her sister begin to scream for her._

"_Azkadelia!"_

"_Azkadelia!"_

"_Azkadelia!"_

"Azkadelia!"

Azkadelia's eyes flew open in a gasping sob. It took her a moment to realize where she was – and who had her by the shoulders.

"Tannen!" she cried. Startled, she sat up quickly, sending arcs of her light bouncing around her room. Az watched as some of them skidded up her guard's arms. Tannen backed away from her and shook his hands at the tingle of her magic.

When the light had disappeared, they were two people left breathing heavily in the moonlight.

The lieutenant warily advanced to her bedside again. "Are you all right?"

With tears still streaming down her face, Azkadelia nodded.

Tannen narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you sure?"

"It was just a nightmare," Az told him. "It was just a nightmare."

With even more hesitation, Tannen perched on the edge of her bed. "That sounded like you were convincing yourself and not me." He reached up a finger and poked softly at her cheek. "And you're still crying."

"I know," Azkadelia told him. "I've had nightmares since the eclipse. I'll be fine."

"Are you su-"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"All right," Tannen acquiesced, climbing off her bed. He didn't get very far before he stopped and stared at the princess, encased in moonlight and a silky nightgown. "Good night Your Highness."

She didn't reply, just scooted over to her window and wrapped her arms around herself. She didn't seem to notice that he hadn't left yet and he watched as she sniffed and cried and shuddered.

"Azkadelia," he whispered after a moment. "Earlier, when I told you that you aren't a prisoner here, you said that I had no idea. What did you mean by that?"

"Nothing," the princess replied. "I didn't mean anything by it."

"Yes you did," Tannen affirmed. "It seemed like the first deeply real thing you've said to me since I started working with you." When she didn't say anything he pushed further. "You can tell me, you know. You don't have to keep it all bottled up inside."

"Why do you care?" she finally cried, tears coming down her cheeks in earnest. "Why do you care?"

Tannen didn't have a ready answer for her, so he went with the most honest response he had. "I just do."

With a shuddering sigh, Azkadelia crossed her legs beneath her and leaned against her window sill. "For so many years I was trapped inside my own body. You have no idea what it's like to lose control over your own mouth and eyes and arms and legs – if the witch wanted to go north and I wanted to go south, guess who always won?"

Tannen didn't, or couldn't answer, so she continued.

"There were times where she wasn't concentrating and I could take control again," Az explained, never looking away from the window. "Moments where I could tell my hand to pick up the knife from the table and it would obey. I could tell it to bring it to my breast and that's what it did. But the sorceress always seemed to pay attention again before I could plunge it into my heart."

"You tried to kill yourself?" The words just spilled out from the guard.

Slowly, Azkadelia turned to Tannen, meeting his shocked gaze. "Wouldn't you?"

He didn't have a reply.

"If everyday you saw your own hands harming the people you loved: stealing and torturing and murdering, turning everything you touched into something awful and horrible and you have _absolutely no control_ over any of it – wouldn't you want to end that?"

"Have you felt like that since your sister came back? Since the eclipse?"

The princess turned back to the view out her window. "No," she answered. "I couldn't leave DG now, not after all we've been through."

Speaking of her sister roused Azkadelia. "In my dream DG was – " she cut off, clamping her lips closed. "I mean, I want to check on DG," she said, crawling off her bed and sliding her feet into a pair of slippers. She looked up and saw that Tannen hadn't moved. "Is that alright?"

Tannen shook his head, clearing it. "Of course, anything that will make you feel better." He grabbed a robe from a nearby chair and tossed it to the princess.

Az put the robe on and tied it close around her. "Thank you," she said.

)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)

"You're burning up," Azkadelia whispered to DG.

"I'b fine," the younger princess assured her sister through a stuffy nose.

"I already sent for a healer," Cain told her.

"Ugh, Cain, I hab the flu or somefing, I don't need a healer."

"You'll meet with the healer, kid, or I'll go wake up your mother."

DG rolled over with a humpphf and mumbled something that sounded like 'over-protective cain in the bass.'

Az laughed at her sister and rubbed her back. "It won't hurt a bit, DG, to have someone at least make your head stop hurting and your fever go away."

"Fine," DG said. "For you Az, just so you can go back to sleep."

The healer showed up a few minutes later and asked Cain and Tannen to leave the room. Azkadelia stayed with her sister while the healer gave her a gentle examination. She was done in short order and moved to a nearby chair to mix some powders into a glass of water.

"It looks like you've just got a good head cold, your Highness," the woman said. "If you'll drink this, it'll help clear up your congestion. Other than that I'm prescribing plenty of sleep and a drastically reduced schedule for the next few days. I'll talk to your mother in the morning and make sure she clears your meetings and appointments, all right?"

"I get to stay home from school?" the younger princess asked, with the slightest hint of sarcasm.

The healer looked a little confused. "I'm sure you can still read in bed," she assured DG. "But I don't want you traipsing all over the castle in the drafty and dank hallways, all right?"

DG wilted. "Gotcha."

Azkadelia smiled and decided to throw her sister a lifeline. "But maybe you'd better avoid reading some of those books with the really small print – just until your head ache goes away."

"That would be a good idea," the healer confirmed.

DG shot a knowing smile at her sister. "Yes, my head does hurt," she affirmed. "Well, it's all for the best, I suppose."

The healer wished both princesses a good night and left them. Cain and Tannen came back in the room as Az tucked DG into bed. She settled into the chair next to DG's bed and yawned.

"You can go back to your own room Az," DG assured her sister. "I'm fine. I'll just drink this...whatever this is and go back to sleep."

"No," Azkadelia protested. "I want to make sure you sleep okay."

"I'll make sure she drinks her medicine, you can go back to bed Azkadelia," Cain said quietly.

"She's my sister," Az said firmly, not budging from her seat. "I'll stay here and make sure she is okay."

Everyone got really quiet. DG watched her sister closely, who seemed to find the bed covers extremely fascinating. She took a drink from the glass and grimaced before reaching over and grabbing her sister's hand.

"Did you have a nightmare Az?" DG whispered.

The elder princess looked up at her sister and nodded. "You were trapped and screaming for me, but I couldn't get to you fast enough. The witch...she just kept coming and coming and I couldn't..."

Behind them, Cain and Tannen went very still.

DG reached up and stroked her sister's dark hair. "I'm fine Az," she crooned. "Just fine. And you're fine too. So go back to bed and I promise to drink this vile drink and I'll sleep like a rock and we'll hang out tomorrow, okay? I don't want you staying up all night and getting sick too."

Az almost protested again, but a yawn over-powered her.

"Aha," DG crowed. "Gotcha! Tannen," she half-heartedly barked to the lieutenant leaning near the door. "Make sure she gets back to bed."

"Of course DG," Tannen said.

Cain cupped Azkadelia's elbow and helped her stand.

"I'll make sure she takes her medicine," he told Az again. "You go get some sleep."

"Thanks Cain," Az said quietly.

Tannen opened the door and led the princess out into the sitting room. They walked quietly back through to Az's own room.

"Are you going to be able to sleep again?" he asked.

"I'll sure try," she told him with a yawn. Without bothering to remove her robe, she climbed back up into bed, letting her slippers fall as she lifted her feet. "Good night Tannen."

"Good night Azkadelia."

)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)

DG padded into Cain's office early the next morning. Again, she didn't bother knocking – just flopped down into a chair.

"I thought you were supposed to be taking it easy," Cain sighed. "What are you doing clear down in this wing?"

"I'm sick," DG whined at him. "Not dead, which means I get bored."

"Where's your sister?"

"Taking a nap."

"As you should be too."

"I'm not tired, I told you I'm bored."

"You'll never get better if you don't get some rest."

DG grimaced. "Now you sound like mother."

Cain sighed. "What's wrong DG?"

"I just came down here to talk with you since you seem to have disappeared from your guard duties."

"Kid, you know I have boatloads of paperwork to do and no better time to get to all the reports than when you're down with – "

DG waved him off, slipping into a serious mood. "I know, Wyatt. Truly I'm not trying to bust your chops, I just wanted to tell you that I'm glad that Tannen seems to be working well as Azkadelia's guard. Thanks for doing that."

Cain's frustration melted off of him. "Not a problem darlin'."

"She still hasn't left her room if I'm not with her, though."

"Give her time."

DG went silent and stared at her friend for a long time. He refused to squirm under her gaze, and he refused to label whether she looked at him longingly or with some other – more neutral emotion.

"That's what we all need, I guess, huh?" the princess finally said, looking down at her hands twisted in her lap.

It took Cain a moment to figure out what she meant. "Oh, yeah, I think time is just what we all need."

"Cain?"

"Yeah kid?"

"Do you mind if I stay here and watch you work for a while? I promise I'll go back to my room if I get tired."

Wyatt didn't answer her, he just scooped up the report he was reading and moved to the couch. Plopping down, he patted the spot beside him. DG came over and sat down next to him. She sat stiffly for a moment before Cain reached over and pulled her back to rest against his shoulder. She settled in next to him and sighed under her breath when she felt his lips press to her head.

)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)

**Author's note: Hey all, I've had some wonderful constructive criticisms. Thanks to nightdrive23 especially for pointing out my pacing. I will try to work on that, though I admit I am wickedly verbose! :) Thanks to everyone else who has reviewed. I really appreciate it.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: So, this chap is a little slow, but hopefully there's some good character development that comes from it. Sorry if it drags. Thanks for reading.**

DG's cold didn't get better. In fact, after a few days, she no longer had the energy to get out of bed and her breathing grew labored. The queen fretted that the girl had become so worn down that she'd gotten pneumonia, but the healer reassured Her Majesty that the youngest princess just had a bad cold that settled in her lungs. Azkadelia set up camp by her sister's bedside, but after a few days of constant vigil, she began to show signs of wear as well.

Late one night, Cain and Tannen came into DG's room after they hadn't seen either woman since lunch. They found DG slumbering peacefully, her breaths coming with nothing more than a quiet wheeze. They found Azkadelia asleep, propped up against her sister's bedpost.

"Azkadelia," Cain gently reprimanded the eldest princess. She jerked awake and tilted wildly. Cain grabbed her arm and steadied her.

"What? What's wrong?"

Both men chuckled. "Nothin's wrong, Your Highness," Tannen assured the princess. "I think you should probably go to bed though."

"I need to sit with DG," Az argued sleepily.

"Not anymore, you don't. I caught you sleeping on your feet!" Cain lectured with a laugh. "Go to bed princess, and I'll sit with your sister."

Though they were trying to be quiet, the conversation woke up DG.

"Cain?" she mumbled.

"Yeah, DG, I'm right here."

"I ache all over."

"I know, but you'll feel better soon."

Azkadelia came more fully awake. "See, she's in pain!" she said stubbornly. "I should sit with her. Shouldn't I sit with you, DG?"

Tannen saw DG waver, so he took charge – very diplomatically. "DG, your sister is really tired. She hasn't been sleeping very well, so I'm going to make sure she gets some rest. You don't want her to get sick too, do you?"

Azkadelia turned an angry look on him. "That was low," she muttered, all while the younger princess urged her sister to get some sleep and take a break.

"Cain will stay with me, right?" DG asked.

"Of course."

"I don't think – " Az tried to argue.

"Nope," Tannen interrupted. "You are going right to sleep, Your Highness." He quickly steered Azkadelia out into the sitting room. He wished DG a speedy recovery before shutting the door and turning back to the older sister who had her hands on her hips.

"I was doing just fine, thank you." The princess had obviously decided to get herself in a snit – finally. Tannen would cheerfully deal with anything other that her indeterminable acquiescence. "I don't need you or Cain bossing me around like that. I've spent the past two and a half months sleeping. Weren't you the one who wanted me to get out and do other things? Well, I was and look – you make me go back to bed!"

Tannen had the grace to feel a little guilty for what he'd done. "You haven't really slept since your sister got sick, Your Highness, and I really think you shouldn't wear yourself down. You'll get sick too and then your mother will really start to fret."

The anger fell away from Azkadelia. She didn't have it in her to be really angry anymore – it was too tiring.

"Fine," she sighed and turned toward her bedroom. "Good night Lieutenant."

"Good night, Your Highness."

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Something was poking holes through Tannen's sleep, telling him he needed to wake up. Grumbling, he rolled over and covered his face with his arm. He'd only been asleep for a short time and by the gods he was tired, so he ignored it.

But the noise wouldn't go away and Tannen yawned, pulling himself out of the haze of sleepiness. Sitting up, he focused on the sound that pulled him from dreamland.

Azkadelia was screaming.

Flying out of bed, the lieutenant ran through the door and flew to Azkadelia's bedside. He grabbed her thrashing shoulders and called her name until she came awake, arcs of light again blasting from her and illuminating the room. Tannen didn't let go this time when they hit him, just cringing through the sensation of her light colliding with his body.

"Tannen?" Azkadelia whimpered as she focused on his face.

"Yes, yes, it's all right, it was just a dream," Tannen reassured her. When she'd stopped gasping for breath and the room had sunk into darkness again, he let her go.

"You're all right," Tannen whispered, to reassure himself as well as her.

Azkadelia didn't say anything. She laid in her twisted sheets and stared, wide-eyed at the ceiling, tears coursing down her temples and wetting her dark hair.

"I hate this," she quietly sobbed.

"You and me both," Tannen said with a grimace, stepping back from her bedside. "Let's go get a breath of fresh air," he suggested when Azkadelia hadn't stopped crying quietly after a little while. "It'll do you some good after so long stuck in this suite."

Az pulled herself up in her bed. "I'm not sure I can..."

"This isn't your prison, Azkadelia," Tannen reminded her. "You're free to do as you wish."

The princess stared at the lieutenant for a long moment. "I would like to go for a walk," she finally said. "Thank you."

)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)

When Azkadelia hesitated at the door to the gardens, wrapped in a long and flowing robe, Tannen didn't say anything, he just walked out into the night air and turned and waited for her. Her first steps outside were faltering and hesitant, but he let her take them herself. Then, as they walked the length of one of the castle's gardens without saying anything to each other, he was more than happy to follow the princess wherever she wandered. But when she stopped, without a word, and took a seat on a secluded bench, he felt a huge smile crack across her face as she, with almost a reverent sigh, she slipped her feet out of her shoes and moved her toes through the grass.

"Since the sorceress...well, since my body became my own again, I haven't done anything like this. You won't tell my mother, will you?" Azkadelia asked, a hint of good humor in her tone when she looked up and saw the lieutenant watching her. "She'd absolutely die if she saw me walking barefoot in front of a man. She'd think DG had finally corrupted me."

Tannen chuckled. "Your secret's safe with me," he assured her.

Azkadelia picked up her shoes and stood up. The garden they were in was dark and shaded. "I hope we don't get lost out here," she quipped before she started walking again.

"We'll be fine," Tannen replied. "If all else fails, just walk toward the dark, hulking shapes – that's usually a wall that leads back to the castle."

The princess laughed and held up her hand. After a moment of concentration, a ball of light appeared in her palm. "I suppose I could help us out." A shard of the ball shot off and hit Tannen, who shivered.

"Oh, sorry," Azkadelia closed her fingers and the ball of light snuffed out. "That's twice in one night."

"It doesn't hurt," Tannen assured her. "It's...weird, but not painful It's tingly."

Az smiled. "That's the word DG uses to describe it. I suppose I just don't even notice anymore."

They lapsed into silence again, just wandering through the moonlit garden. Something was bothering the lieutenant, something he wanted to ask the princess, but it took him a couple of turns around the shrubbery to get up his courage.

"What was your nightmare about this time?"

His question surprised Azkadelia, he could tell even in the poor light.

"Nothing important," she replied off-handedly.

"If it scared you, it _is_ important," Tannen told her.

Az smirked. "All right, but it's not pleasant, then."

"I'll still listen."

"Then you'll have nightmares and where will we be? Between your nightmares and DG's and Cain's and mine, we'll be quite the helpless, and sleepless, group."

Tannen chuckled at her light-hearted refusals to talk to him, but he wouldn't be swayed. "Tell me," he repeated firmly.

Azkadelia sighed. "Fine," she said. "This dream wasn't one of the vivid ones anyway, I can't really give you any details."

"Just start talking."

"What is there to tell – most of my dreams are actually memories. Even though I couldn't control my body, I was still 'present' where ever the witch went – there for whatever she did. Sometimes, I saw everything in vivid detail, and sometimes everything was fuzzy and I didn't catch it all."

"Why was that?"

The princess took a deep breath. "When the witch first possessed me, I fought with all my might against her. I was very stubborn, but I was also frightened and my fear and anger was a potent drug for the witch. She fed off of my strong emotions. It took me a while to figure out that the more fiercely I fought, the stronger the sorceress became. I lost almost all my strength and by the time the witch killed DG, I was so weak I could hardly get angry about it," her voice wavered at the mention of her sister's death, but she continued without interruption. "So I stopped fighting her and gained my strength back. Then, after a while of just...just _existing_, I began to lose the ability to differentiate myself from the witch, I couldn't tell where I stopped and she started, which I discovered also gave her more power. I thought I was lost to her forever, until one day, I began to _sing_."

"Sing? Like, a song? As in, music?"

Azkadelia laughed at the disbelief in Tannen's voice. "Yes, believe it or not, one day I had a tune stuck in my head...or rather, well, you know what I mean by my head? And as I sang the song over and over and over, I drowned out the witch's voice. I honestly couldn't tell you what she did that day, where she went or who she hurt – I didn't even notice it.

"I did notice later, however, that she was very tired, and I realized that she was tired because she didn't have my life force keeping her going, so she was having to work harder. I kept my mind my own and my soul my own and it was to her detriment."

"That's amazing," Tannen breathed.

"I know," the princess replied. "I lost track of how many songs I sang, how many stories I told myself. So, when I was successful at keeping the sorceress out, the resulting memories are blurry and unfocused. But truthfully, sometimes I couldn't drown her out. If something was happening that I feared more than something else, even slightly, the witch sunk her claws into that and it took everything I had just to try to keep her from draining me completely. When that happened, the resulting memories are in vivid detail."

"And tonight's nightmare was a fuzzy one?"

"That's right," Az said with a sigh.. "But that doesn't mean that now – now that my mind is quiet and clear – that I can't hear the screams and see the pain and anguish. I might not see their faces, but the memories are still there."

Azkadelia shivered and Tannen tried not to give in to his own fear. But it wasn't fear of her, he realized with a start. It was fear _for_ her. And sorrow, too. Sorrow that she would deal with this long after the witch was gone. While the rest of the O.Z. could work to put everything behind them, their princess was haunted. It wasn't exactly fair.

He had another question. "What did you fear, even more than anything else?"

Az blanched and he heard her breathing speed up. He could practically feel her increased heartbeat through the still air.

"Zero," she whispered.

"The sorceress' general?"

Azkadelia nodded, then turned her back to him. "I'd rather not talk about it," she said coldly, so quiet that Tannen almost missed it. "I think I'm ready to go back in now."

Puzzled, the lieutenant followed the princess back into the castle, watching the tight lines of her back and neck the whole way. But he didn't push her any further, not wanting to upset her, and by the time they'd reached her bedroom door, she'd returned to normal.

Tannen checked Azkadelia's room before allowing her to enter. She went immediately to her bed and sat down on it, removing her shoes.

"Thank you Lieutenant, for listening," she said, dropping her slippers to the floor. "Are you going to be all right?"

Tannen couldn't help but roll his eyes. "For Ozma's sake, Your Highness," he grumbled. "I'm pretty sure I should be asking you that, right?" When the princess didn't answer, he reassured her. "Yes, I will be just fine."

"Will you not tell anyone what I told you?" Azkadelia asked, uncertainty in her voice. "I would rather not worry my parents unnecessarily and DG already knows most of it."

"Of course, I will gladly keep your confidences, Your Highness."

"Thank you," the princess said. Tannen turned and started toward the door that led to his room.

"And, how about we drop the 'Your Highness'?" Azkadelia called to him right before he ducked through the doorway..

The lieutenant turned, slightly surprised. Before he could protest, the princess refuted all his arguments.

"You called me by my name last night and neither of us are worse for the wear. And you use DG's first name all the time, so why not me? Please?"

"Only if you'll call me Tannen, not lieutenant or Evergreen or something."

"Deal. Good night and, again, thank you Tannen."

"Good night Azkadelia."

)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)


	8. Chapter 8

A couple of mornings later, Tannen stumbled into the princesses' sitting room, surprised to find Cain already sitting there, nursing a cup of coffee.

"Mornin'," his boss greeted him.

"Yeah," Tannen replied, his voice still hoarse from sleep.

"You okay, Lieutenant?"

Tannen sighed long and loud while he poured his own cup of coffee. "Yes, I'm just feeling a little...tired. Not that I'm complaining," he quickly clarified. "But between DG being sick and Prin- er, Azkadelia's nightmares returning, I'm officially getting less sleep than I did during my army days."

"Did she have another bad one last night?" Cain asked.

"Yeah, that makes three nights in a row. She still refuses to see a viewer or let a healer give her more than a sleeping potion; so, I wake her up and we walk through one of the gardens until she's tired again. Sometimes we talk, sometimes we don't. Last night, we sat down on a bench and she fell asleep almost immediately, just sitting there. When I woke her up to bring her back inside I told her she better not bother getting up with the suns this morning or I was going to lock her in her bedroom until she got some more sleep." Tannen sat down on a couch, stretched out his long legs in front of him and groaned. "Which I'm sure was just what she wanted to hear after years of imprisonment inside her own body. Damn it all, I'm sure I'm harming rather than helping, but I have literally no idea what I'm doing. Seriously boss, you said to use my best judgment and my best judgment is telling me I am far from qualified to help Azkadelia."

Cain chuckled and rubbed his face. "I know what you mean," he said. "And yet, we're here, we've still got this job to do. Although I will say that it's just not reasonable to expect ourselves to be able to watch over them all day _and_ all night. At the rate we're all going, DG won't be the only one sick before long. Although at least with all the medicine DG is taking she's not having any more nightmares. I'm not sure I could handle both." The commander sighed. "Besides, I don't think it's very seemly for us to be holding vigil in the girls' bedroom's all night long without anybody else nearby."

Tannen agreed, although he hadn't thought of it like that; he'd just been intent on doing a job.

"The castle's a little short staffed right now – the queen preferred to use the money to pay soldiers instead of servants and attendants – but I'm sure we can scrounge somebody up to help the girls."

"You mean, like a ladies' maid?" the lieutenant asked.

"Yeah, one of those. But, not just somebody to do their hair...or whatever women need help with. I tried to tell the queen during our last meeting, but it's apparently a really touchy subject so we didn't get very far: her daughters aren't the hardiest of souls right now – especially Azkadelia. I'm not one for coddling people, but the princesses have come down a long and bumpy road. They need a little care if they're going to build up any semblance of strength again. We need somebody to nurture them – someone who's got a truck load of patience and a flair for diplomacy if we're gonna put this person in between DG and the queen with the ball coming up."

Tannen whistled softly. "That's a pretty hefty position to fill, boss," he said. "Sounds like a mythical woman to me." A light bulb went off in the lieutenant's head. "Sir, I know just the person," he cried, jumping to his feet. "Do you mind if I have the morning off? I'll be back before supper, and I'll bring the woman I'm thinking of, we can introduce her to the queen and everything. Don't worry she'll be perfect."

The lieutenant flew out of the room, leaving Cain to quietly finish his coffee and stare at the proverbial dust of his disappearing second-in-command.

"Sure kid, take the day, I'm fine here with both princesses...don't worry about me..."

)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)

Across Central City from the palace, in the heart of one of the old, nicer neighborhoods, a household came to life with the rising of the first sun. Children crawled sleepily out of bed while their mothers made them breakfast in the kitchen. When a knock sounded at the front door, all the women looked to one – the oldest and obvious matriarch of the group. She took off her apron and went to the front hall. A smile broke across her lightly lined face when she opened the front door and took in the sight on the other side.

"Well, if it isn't Lieutenant Commander Tannen Evergreen gracing this home with his presence after skipping Rest Day dinner last week!"

"I know, I know," the lieutenant said with guilty smirk. "But I've been busy and I'm here to tell you why."

The older woman smiled and moved aside to let the young man in. "Excuses are still excuses mister," she said. "Even if you are important up there at the palace. Now come here and give me a proper hello." She held her arms out and welcomed the man into her embrace.

"Hello, Mother," Tannen whispered to her, squeezing her tight.

)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)

Tannen didn't get a chance to say much more to his mother before the rest of his family bombarded him with hugs and greetings and everyone scrambled to breakfast. Tia Evergreen had a very full household: she had all three of her daughters-in-law living with her along with their seven children ranging in ages from fourteen to three. Tia's husband and Tannen's father, the late Lord Brynd Evergreen had been Queen Lavender Eyes' Agricultural Advisor, and he'd been a fine example of a man. He had worked tirelessly at his job, spent quality, loving time with his wife and children and he'd been loyal to the O.Z. and the House of Gale to the very end.

When Azkadelia, or the Sorceress rather, and her Longcoats overthrew the Queen, Lord Evergreen had been an outspoken opponent of her takeover. He'd continued to speak out against Azkadelia until one night, under the cover of darkness, a group of Longcoats stormed their house and took him by force. Tannen had been the only child home at the time – as the youngest of his four brothers – but he'd been unable to get to his father in time. The next morning, Tia had received word that her two eldest sons had also been taken from their homes, leaving wives and young children in turmoil and disarray.

Six months went by before they heard anything about their loved ones. Then, one day, a letter arrived, telling Tia that her husband and sons had all been executed for treason against the O.Z. There had been no trial, no appeals process. At that point, Tia moved out of the city with her remaining son and his family and her other daughters-in-law and their children and they rode out the Sorceress' rule in the far reaches of the country, relatively undisturbed. Only Tannen remained behind, easily transitioning from the Royal Army to the resistance.

Eventually, Tannen's remaining brother joined him in the resistance and was tragically killed in a skirmish with the Longcoats shortly after signing up. Tannen could have quit the fight – no one would have blamed him – but he stayed with the army and his mother had supported his decision. She knew he felt great guilt over being the only son of Lord Evergreen left, but she also knew that had he been able to come to his father's aid that fateful night and been killed also, she would have died of a broken heart. As it was, Tia lived – despite her grief – knowing that Tannen and her grandchildren needed her as much as she needed them.

A short while after the eclipse, Tannen showed up for a brief visit at their country home and assured everyone it was all right to come back to the city if they wanted. He'd been to their brownstone and found it empty of squatters – though missing many things they'd left behind. He'd told them about the princess Azkadelia's possession and how her younger sister had set her free. He told them about his promotion to the Royal Guard and he told them if they decided to move back to the city he'd gladly help them however he could. The visit was short, but the family had taken the time to celebrate together the Sorceress' demise and a restoration to the days of old. They'd mourned a little together too, missing their husbands and sons and brothers. Tannen left to return to his post, and after a few weeks, Tia and her daughters-in-law had decided to move back to Central City.

So, for the past month, they'd lived quite happily together, supported by Tannen's wages and the substantial wealth they'd either kept hidden from the witch or that had been returned by the queen's advisor, Ambrose. Surprisingly, the memories in the city house weren't painful for Tia – walking the halls her husband and sons walked made her feel closer to them. (Even if the halls were usually filled – as they were this particular morning – with clambering children and unruly teenagers.)

After a boisterous breakfast, Tia and Tannen dodged children as they ran and chased through the hallways, on their way to Tia's private sitting room for some quiet conversation.

"Aren't they supposed to be in lessons?" Tannen asked after one of his nephews ran full tilt into his midsection.

"Their mothers give them some time to run around before they have to settle down to do their school work. And your presence here will probably warrant them some extra time to get calmed down," Tia answered with a smile. She ushered her son into the sitting room and closed the door on all the noise. The quiet was almost deafening.

"Ah," Tannen sighed as he sank into one of the chairs in the room. "There aren't any kids in the palace. I forgot how noisy they can be!" His mother only chuckled.

"All right my son, tell me why you showed up here in such a hurry this morning," Tia invited, sitting down opposite Tannen.

And he did. Tannen told his mother everything about the situation with the Royal family and especially Azkadelia and DG – except those things that he'd promised the princess he would keep in confidence. The story got convoluted and complicated and when he finally finished with his invitation for her to come and be a ladies' maid for the princesses, he was sure his mother was so freaked out she would turn him down flat.

"So, let me get this straight, my boy," Tia Evergreen said. "Princess Azkadelia has screaming nightmares and doesn't leave her room without her sister. Princess DG is running herself ragged, suffering from her own bad dreams, pulled in a million directions and now has a strong cold keeping her down. The Queen and Prince Consort are trying to put the O.Z. back together and don't have time for much more than the occasional meeting or breakfast with their girls. And you and Commander Cain are trying to play body guard _and_ nursemaid _and _confidante _and_ etc. and have decided it's wholly improper for two single men to be in the unmarried princess' bedrooms at all hours of the day and night without a chaperone nearby (except each other) even if you are their Highness' body guards," she stopped and sucked in a deep breath. "Have I got that right?"

"Basically," Tannen said with a grin. His mother had a knack for bringing the complicated into simplicity's light; and she could talk faster than a blue streak. "Would you like to come and help? Azkadelia and DG could really use you, Mother. You were always someone who could make people feel good."

"So you're calling their Highnesses by their first names, huh?" Tia asked her son. She'd noticed it before, and she couldn't help but make sure her only son was behaving appropriately in the Royal Court.

Tannen blushed a little. "Yeah, well, you'll find that Princess DG isn't really big on all the titles and honors. Her sister says she wasn't as a little girl either, but all her time on the Other Side made her aversion to it even stronger. And, I guess Az thought if I was calling her sister by her first name I should skip the titles with her too." His mother raised her eyebrows. "Don't worry Mother," Tannen assured her. "Commander Cain calls them both by their given names...among other things...so it's not like I'm breaking precedent here."

Tia nodded. "Well, I'll gladly meet the ladies," she said with a small flourish. "I'm sure your sisters-in-law can hold down the fort for awhile. At the very least I can help until they get someone more appropriate."

"I promise, Mother, you will be just what they need."

)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)

Cain sat behind his desk, reviewing reports from the Guard. DG had trundled into his office a few hours after breakfast, wrapped in a blanket and looking like hell, to announce that she was lonely and wanted his company. She'd laid down on the couch and currently slumbered there. The commander had peeked in on Azkadelia shortly after that and found her to be still asleep as well. They were a spent pair of women, and he supposed they could sleep wherever they liked and on whatever side of midnight they could manage.

A part of him was grateful for the constant distraction that running the Royal Guard and chasing after DG afforded him. It gave little time to dwell on the unpleasant things that banged about in the back his mind – Adora's tragic death, his less than stellar relationship with his son, the horrific memories of the tin suit, and certainly everything that had passed between him and Zero after the sorceress had been banished from the Princess Azkadelia. Just as his mind started to wander down unsavory paths, his second-in-command knocked on the door frame to his office.

"Commander Cain, sir?"

Cain stood up, and motioned for the lieutenant commander to be quieter, indicating the sleeping princess on the couch. "Yeah, Evergreen, welcome back. You find who you were looking for?"

Tannen smiled and stepped a little to the left. Standing behind him was a middle-aged woman, all soft lines and a dignified bearing.

"Commander Wyatt Cain, this is my mother, Lady Tia Evergreen. Mother, this is my boss, Commander Cain."

Cain's jaw practically hit the floor. "You brought your mother to help the girls?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, why is that so strange?" Tannen queried in return.

"DG is enough trouble for her own mother, let alone someone else's!"

At this, Tia laughed. "I'm sure you exaggerate Commander. I'm sure the princess is the height of decorum and propriety." Cain snorted, but she ignored him. "Besides, from what my son says, the two of _you_ could use a little help nursing these girls back to health, and I'm not doing anything particularly pressing during the reconstruction of our good land, so I'm happy to offer my services."

Cain couldn't believe his good luck as he moved aside and invited the lieutenant and his mother into his office. This lady was straight forward and seemed like a fairly level-headed person. He could almost feel his soft mattress beneath him after so many nights of sleeping in the chair next to DG's bed.

Before he could get everyone to sit and discuss the further details of Mrs. Evergreen's service, DG stirred on the couch, drawing everyone's attention.

"Cain?" she croaked trying to get up.

Tia gasped. "Is this the princess who's sick?" she demanded to know. Cain could only nod his head. "My dear," she said, bustling over to the young woman on the couch. "What are you doing out of bed? You'll never get better if you try sleeping on surfaces hardly meant for convalescence, you know."

DG blinked at the woman trying to help her up. "Who are you?" she asked, thoroughly puzzled.

Cain laughed. "Your Highness, this is Mrs. Tia Evergreen. She's come to help you and your sister until you're both feeling a little better."

Tia had DG standing by now and was wrapping the blanket around her shoulders.

"Oh, thank you, Mrs. Evergreen, and it's nice to meet you, but Azkadelia and I are just fine. We can take care of our – " The rest of her sentence was lost to a fit of coughing.

"Of course you two can take care of yourselves," Tia assured the princess, guiding her around the office furniture. "However, under normal circumstances, you would each have a ladies' maid, and so I'm here to fill that role until we get you back on your feet. Then you and your sister can go back to your own, independent routine. Come on now, let's go get you in a hot bath and then I'll rub some salve into your shoulders and back. I'm sure you must be aching from this nasty cold and having to lay in bed all day."

The women had reached the office door and, without fuss, left Cain and Tannen for the princesses' suite.

"By the gods, I am brilliant," Cain sighed satisfactorily.

"You're brilliant?" Tannen objected. "She's my mother! I brought her here."

"No, that was just a great idea," Cain clarified. "I'm brilliant for making you my second. Best. Decision. Ever."

"Probably," Tannen agreed with a chuckle. "Now we just have to tell the queen that we brought someone onto her staff without even letting her interview the person." The lieutenant winced a little. "Sorry about that," he said. "I should have mentioned that my mother doesn't exactly wait around for formalities – not once she's seen what needs to be done. She just digs right in."

Cain waved aside the apology. "Don't even worry about it. I happen to know that the queen will be grateful someone is looking after her daughters. She's burning the candle at both ends just to keep up with everything lately and has mentioned she feels a little guilty for neglecting the princesses."

"This _is_ a crazy time in history," Tannen said. "I'm sure we'll look back and see that it passed in the blink of an eye, but for now, I almost wish the suns would separate a little further – give us all more time in the day."

"Well, let's go interrupt whatever the queen has going on at this particular time and let her know what we've done. Then we'd better go back and make sure your mother doesn't startle Azkadelia."

)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)

The suns were high in the sky by the time Azkadelia rolled out of bed, rested and refreshed. She took a long, hot bath and got ready with care and attention. She felt more peaceful than she had in a long time, despite her nightmare the previous night and the toll DG's care was taking on her. As she passed from her bathroom through her room to the sitting room, she noticed her slippers on the floor and smiled when she realized that part of her peace came from being able to go outside again. Out in to the grass and trees and to sit on a bench under the sky and feel the breeze on her skin. Her smile disappeared and her cheeks turned pink when she remembered her walk last night.

The nightmare Tannen had waken her from had been a vivid, brightly-colored, loud-volumed monstrosity. She had even remembered the names of the people the witch was harming, making the whole thing even more devastating. And Zero had been in that dream, or memory – although he hadn't come near her. When she woke to find Tannen's face over hers, his concern etched in the lines around his eyes, she realized that she hadn't even been screaming, just crying and curled in the fetal position. How he'd heard her she didn't know. And then, he hadn't asked her if she wanted to go outside, like he had the previous two nights, he just held up her robe and helped her slip into it, tying the belt when her shaking hands couldn't manage the knot. When she cried all the way to the gardens, he even produced a handkerchief for her and didn't say a word when she soaked it and stuck it in her pocket. She hadn't gotten very far into their walk before she suddenly _had_ to sit down. Stumbling over to a bench, she had sunk onto it gratefully and sucked in some cleansing breaths.

Tannen stood patiently a few feet away, waiting for her to decide what to do. After a few minutes she had rubbed at her eyes.

"You might as well sit down too," she had told him, a slight hitch in her breath from all her crying interrupting her speech. "I'm not inclined to move from this spot anytime soon."

So, Tannen took the spot next to the princess. The bench was a little small, and he was close enough to her that she could feel his shoulder brush against hers when one of them shifted or swayed a little. Each time they touched, she waited for the anxiety to punch through her gut – but the jolt never came. Not like when her mother insisted she meet with a dignitary or noble who was obligated to kiss her hand, or at the very least shake it. No, Tannen just felt warm and strong next to her. She wondered what the difference was, but didn't get very far into analyzing it before her memory went fuzzy.

The next thing she knew, she felt a rocking sensation. She opened her eyes to find herself in her guard's strong arms. He was carrying her.

"Hey Sleeping Beauty," he'd whispered with a small smile. "You nodded off onto my shoulder out there."

Azkadelia flushed, remembering how she'd been unable to answer. It was just that she'd been so overwhelmed by the smell of him, she'd lost her head just a moment. He smelled like cotton and soap and a little like gunmetal. That lead her to remembering what Zero had smelled like and she'd panicked, demanding that Tannen put her down.

He put her down carefully, and had looked slightly confused. When Azkadelia had murmured something about her being too heavy to be carried and that she was all right to walk, he seemed to come to some sort of realization, although Azkadelia hadn't asked what it was.

"You're not too heavy, Your Highness, sorry Azkadelia," Tannen had assured her, his tone light and gently teasing. "In fact, you're probably too light. You should seriously consider eating like DG does. Those three days you were asleep right after the eclipse must have shrunk your stomach and you need to stretch it out again."

Azkadelia had taken the bait, grateful for the distraction from her memories. "Are you saying I'm too skinny?" she had demanded.

Tannen had laughed quietly. "Well..." he drew out the word annoyingly. "No, I'm not saying that."

"Good."

"Aaaaannnnd...I'm not _not_ saying that."

"What? That doesn't even make sense," she had complained to him. "I'm not too skinny!"

"Yes, your Highness, whatever you say."

Azkadelia remembered the feeling of wanting reach out and smack her bodyguard on the arm. It wasn't anger...it was something akin to laughter in her stomach. Even in the light of day with her mind cleared by plentiful sleep, she couldn't put her finger on what that emotion was.

They'd reached the sitting room before the teasing went any further, and Tannen had checked it briefly before allowing Azkadelia in. He'd done the same to her bedroom before ushering her through the door.

"Good night Azkadelia," he'd said kindly.

"Good night Lieutenant Commander Evergreen," she'd replied, sarcasm coloring her tone.

"I'll have the kitchen send you some bacon and eggs for breakfast," he'd quipped, getting in one last dig. She'd shut the door in his face with mock anger. "A double portion!" he'd called through the barrier.

With a smile at the remembrance, Azkadelia headed to her sister's room, anxious to see if DG was feeling better. But DG's room was empty. Just as Az started to worry, her sister appeared at the doorway, accompanied by a strange, yet familiar woman. The princess didn't miss how the woman's face held a look of panic – just for a half a second before it disappeared – when she came into view. Az hid her own wince and ran to her sister.

"DG," Az cried. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," the younger princess sighed. "I was feeling lonely and you were still asleep so I went and took a nap in Wyatt's office."

"And that's where I found her," the stranger said. "But I'm afraid I'm very bossy and I am insisting that she come back to bed to get the rest she needs to get feeling better."

"And you are...?" Azkadelia waited for the introduction that would clear this whole matter up.

"Oh, yeah," DG said, clomping her way over to her bed where she flopped down. "Az, this is Lady Evergreen. Lady Evergreen, this is Azkadelia."

"Your Highness," Mrs. Evergreen curtsied briefly.

A lightbulb went off in Az's mind. "Wait, Evergreen. You must be Tannen mother?"

The older woman smiled brightly. "Yes, Tannen is my youngest."

"I'm very pleased to meet you," Azkadelia said sincerely. She thought about offering to shake the woman's hand, but decided not to push it. It was obvious this woman held some of her own painful memories of the Sorceress and she didn't feel like having a confrontation with anyone today. "Are you visiting your son?"

"No, Az, she's come to help us," DG chimed up from her bed before blowing her nose.

Az went on the immediate defensive. "We don't need any help, thank you though," she said stiffly.

"Don't bother sis," DG said behind another tissue. "I already tried that. Look," she propped herself up on her elbow and held out her hand to her sister who came right to her. "I am sick and only barely feeling better. You are wearing yourself thin trying to take care of me during the day and don't tell me your nightmares haven't been getting worse because I can hear you through these walls, you know. And Cain is running on no sleep, pulling double duty and Tannen is probably doing the same. We're all gonna crash. Mother and Father would be here if they could, but I for one am not going to put my sickness on a higher priority than restoring the legislative branch or the Council of the Lords or whatever form of government we have here. So. Let's face it. We need somebody to help us and this nice lady has agreed to do that until we're feeling better." When Azkadelia still looked uncertain, DG grabbed her sister's face. "Az. Read my lips. It's okay to accept help."

The eldest princess laughed and looked toward Lady Evergreen with an apologetic smile. "You're right of course, I'm just being stubborn," she said, as if that would explain everything to the woman.

"It's what she does best," DG added for good measure, which earned her a poke from her sister. "Hey, invalid here."

Tia smiled at the princesses. "This will be a joy, I can already tell." She pointed at DG. "I'm going to draw a warm bath for you, your Highness, and then let you enjoy that while I have some tea with your sister, all right?"

"Yes, ma'am," DG sighed. "I feel better already."

)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)

All while Lady Evergreen helped DG into the bath, Azkadelia fretted. She knew she should stay in the sitting room and entertain the woman, at least today – it being her first day here – but all she wanted to do was run into her room and hide. Hide away from the catalog of memories just waiting to be sifted through all with the same question: Do I remember what the witch did to this woman?

Luckily though, Azkadelia still had her stubborn on, and she sat stone still on one of the couches, a tray of tea things in front of her. After a few minutes, Lady Evergreen appeared.

"Well," she said sitting down in a chair near Azkadelia, "I think your sister will feel better after a good long soak."

"Thank you, again, for coming Lady Evergreen – "

"Oh, my dear, why don't you call me Tia? And I'll call you Azkadelia, or perhaps Az. I remember thinking when you were born that your parents gave you quite the mouthful of a name...but maybe it will roll off my tongue better than I think it will. Anyway, I've already received the lecture from your sister about her preference for the use of given names and my son told me a similar story, so we'll skip that part between us, is that fine?"

Azkadelia smiled brightly. She like the straight forward warmth this woman exuded. Sort of like a Wyatt Cain, but soft and bubbly and welcoming.

_So, actually,_ Az admitted to herself with a smirk, _nothing like Wyatt Cain._

"I would love that, thank you."

That was as far as their conversation got, for Cain and Tannen arrived at the princesses' suite.

"Well hello, I see we didn't get here in time," the commander commented on the two women sitting before him.

Tannen felt a moment's panic, for he could see lines of stress around Azkadelia's eyes, and yet, he realized, she was smiling.

"Yes, commander you were late, so DG did the introductions and Azkadelia and I are sitting down to some tea. Now, if you men can behave like proper gentlemen, you may join us. However, the moment you turn the conversation to automobiles or guns, I shall banish you from this room."

Both men smiled and took a seat on a couch to the right of Azkadelia, opposite Lady Evergreen. Tannen leaned over and whispered to his boss. "Really, I'm positive she'll be a huge help, even if she is really bossy."

Cain snorted under his breath. "I'm positive she's just what we needed. I repeat: Best. Decision. Ever."

)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)

**Note: So I missed my one chap a day deadline by one stinkin' hour. And what was I doing with that hour? Giving blood? Doing laundry? Saving mankind? No. Oh ho ho ho no. I was watching Austin Powers. It came up on Netflix as something I would like. Did I? Oh ho ho ho no, and now I can't ever get that time back. I'm heartily ashamed.**

**Thank you for your reviews and I WILL get the next chap up tomorrow, on time. Grrrr...**


	9. Chapter 9

**Note: Well la-dee-frickin'-dah, look who posted before midnight. Me! :) Anyway, this is a criminally long chapter, but I couldn't figure out how to break it up into two. So, settle in with your scroll buttons mates. Next, I should mention that I am sort of leaving some of my characters in the dust for this chap (namely Tia and Jeb...sorry guys) but I promise they will return in the coming chapters. This part of the story just had some real need for L.E. and Ahamo's presences. Also, this chapter contains mentions of rape, although it's not graphic so the rating remains at a T. Finally, this got only three edits before I got antsy, so any and all mistakes come with an apology and a statement of my ownership. Cheers.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tin Man, just havin' some good times.**

)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)

A week later, a well-rested Wyatt Cain dragged his feet as he headed to the Royal Offices. He passed the guard outside with a nod and headed through the doors. The queen and her consort were waiting for him in the main meeting room.

"Welcome Commander Cain," Queen Lavender Eyes greeted the ex-tin man. "Please come join us." She indicated the seat he should take, which he did. "You just missed your son, come to give a report on the progress of our latest round of army recruits. But we invited him stay for the midday meal, so hopefully you'll have a chance to see him then. What a fine young man he is. "

Cain accepted the compliment with a nod. "It was, truly, his late mother's doing, though I thank you on her behalf."

The queen smiled sympathetically before turning to her husband. "Shall we get started, my dear?"

"Yes, we don't want to waste your time Cain," Ahamo said, getting up to retrieve some large rolls of paper, which he spread across the table between everyone.

Cain was prepared for this – how could he not be, having one of these security meetings with the Queen and Prince Consort every week? He quickly detailed all the safety measures in place over the palace and pointed out any continued weak points and what steps were being taken to make them strong. Lavender Eyes again promised more help as soon as it could be had and Cain again assured her that the men of the Royal Guard were good, capable soldiers and their small force was doing just fine. Same as every week. Until the queen began a new line of questioning.

"How are things going with my daughters, Commander?" she asked. "Do they seem to be improving?"

"Didn't you have breakfast with them this morning, Your Majesty?"

"Yes, we did, but I wish to know how they seem to be from someone who spends so much more time with them." Cain could hear the guilty tinge in her voice.

"Of course, Your Majesty," he said. "I suppose we should start with the biggest changes recently. As you know we switched out Azkadelia's guards, replacing Seth and Runsfield with Lieutenant Commander Evergreen. And, with the start of Lady Tia, er...Lady Evergreen as an attendant for the princesses I think she's sleeping a little better at night, knowing someone is on hand to help her sister. Both changes seems to be positive ones. However, from the reports I get from the lieutenant, I believe the princess continues to suffer from some intense nightmares, but honestly Your Majesty, Your Highness, none of us are really qualified to tell what's wrong with her, and, as you know, she still refuses to meet with a Viewer or a healer, so I believe Azkadelia is at a bit of an impasse."

"Thank you Commander. Now, how about DG? How is she coming along?"

Cain's heart began to beat a little harder. He wasn't sure why, but it seemed all his words about the princess he watched over so carefully seemed to stick in his throat.

"She's doing fine, Your Majesty," he managed to croak out, after a moment's hesitation. "She is fully recovered from her illness and has returned to her normal schedule. She continues to spend most of her time with the princess Azkadelia."

"Has she disappeared lately? Run off from any of her lessons? Eluded any guards you've put on her?"

Cain suppressed a chuckle. "No, I think she spent enough time sick in bed that she's grateful for whatever she has to keep her busy." He paused a moment, unsure he should share the next bit of information. Sometimes what the queen didn't know, doesn't hurt her. In the end, his conscience won out. "Most of the guards no longer want to be on her detail," he explained carefully, "because she is so adept at ditching them and they don't like putting their jobs in jeopardy." Quickly, he reassured DG's parents, who were starting to frown. "But I don't mind taking care of DG's portion of the security rotation, and after following her around the O.Z. for so long, there's not many new tricks she can throw at me."

Ahamo smiled at that, but the queen's frown deepened.

"Is something wrong your Majesty?" Cain asked. He hated feeling in the dark about things, and from the unhappy expression on Lavender Eyes' face, he had a feeling something very huge lurked just beyond his sight.

Lavender Eyes looked at her husband for a long moment, silently communicating something. Ahamo shrugged and sighed, and the queen let a flicker of frustration crack the regal mask she usually wore.

"Commander Cain, there is a matter of great delicacy facing my family, and ultimately the O.Z. that my newly reconvened Council of Lords deems of more importance than anything else."

"Who will inherit the throne?"

If the queen was surprised that Cain had guessed what she was concerned about, she didn't show it beyond a brief dilation of her pupils.

"Yes, Mr. Cain, that's right. The Council of Lords would like the matter of who will inherit the throne settled quickly. They seem to think that once this is settled, the support of the people will return to the House of Gale full force."

"And the opinions about who should inherit are quite...divided, I take it?"

The queen squinted her eyes. "I have not had either of my daughters at the meetings, Commander," she said, implying lightly that he must be spying on the Council of Lords.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I am aware of that. However, the Council of Lords isn't the only place the discussion of who your heir should be is taking place."

"Az and DG?" Ahamo asked.

Cain nodded and the Prince Consort looked a little sick.

"They are not fighting for the crown, your Highness," he assured the man.

"They are not? What are they saying about the situation?" the queen asked, obviously surprised.

Cain felt uncomfortable. "Your Majesty, I mean no disrespect, but that conversation between your daughters was a private one, I believe they forgot I was in the room with them. I think you should probably ask them about this."

Lavender Eyes looked perturbed at the commander's refusal to just tell her what her girls said. She had the grace however to at least try and make an excuse to not include her daughters in the current discussion. "Commander Cain, both my daughters are just returning to health. I don't wish to involve them in this heated and complicated matter until things have settled down a little bit."

Cain sighed silently. It was an excuse, but it was a good one, and he figured if he told the queen no, he wouldn't tell her the conversation he'd overheard, she could just order him to and that would be awkward. He looked at the Prince Consort, sitting stiff and silent in his wing-back chair, and cast his mind back to the afternoon a few days previous when he'd overheard the serious discussion the Royal sisters were having.

*#*#*#*#*#*

_Cain sat in the corner of the sitting room, cleaning his pistol. Tannen decided to throw back to his days at the Royal Offices and stood at attention in the hall outside the door. Cain couldn't really blame him, with DG still recovering, the day had been slow and boring. Lady Tia was taking a nap – having been up in the early morning hours after Azkadelia had a nightmare. Azkadelia was sitting on the couch with DG between her knees, brushing her younger sisters hair._

_The girls kept a companionable silence for quite a while before Azkadelia spoke, sounding a little melancholy._

"_You have such gorgeous hair," she told her sister._

"_So do you," DG protested._

"_But not like yours – wavy and thick and..." Az floundered for another good description. "Luxurious."_

_DG laughed and laid her head back against her sister's leg. "Luxurious? Ha, you're hilarious. There. There's another big word for you."_

_But Azkadelia's mood wouldn't be lightened. "I'm not joking, DG. Your hair is beautiful. And for the ceremony where Mother crowns you Heir Apparent we should curl it and pile it on top of your head and weave some pearls with the strands."_

_DG literally shot up from the floor and stood in front of her sister. "What are you talking about?" she asked fiercely._

"_You know, the ceremony where the Heir – "_

_The younger princess slapped a hand over her sister's mouth. "Yes, I know the ceremony," she hissed. "But _you_ will be the one with pearls in your hair – getting the crown."_

_Azkadelia sighed and gazed sadly up at her sister until DG moved her hand. "Really, DG? You're going to cling to that? I'm not fit to rule the O.Z. The people no longer trust me – and with good reason. Besides – you have Mother's Light and that makes you the...the most _fit_ person for the job."_

"_No it doesn't," DG replied with attitude. She sat down next to her sister glared at her. "Az, you are the first born. It's your destiny to lead the O.Z. into the future."_

"_I had my chance to rule," Azkadelia pointed out._

_DG snorted. "False. The Sorceress had a chance to rule. Do you honestly think you would have been the same kind of ruler that she was? Don't answer that, it was rhetorical and ridiculous. Of course not. You will be a ruler like Mother is: kind and fair and hard-working."_

"_But the people – "_

"_Screw the people!" DG cried then flinched. "I didn't mean that, sorry – no filter. I just mean that...well, look at Tia. We know what the witch did to her family, and yet she doesn't hold you responsible. Neither does Tannen. And neither will _everybody else_ if they just get to spend some time with you. Hey, we have a ball coming up. Perfect opportunity to start mingling with the common folk."_

_Az rolled her eyes and fell against the back of the couch, pulling her sister back with her. They stared at the ceiling for awhile until DG brought up her final point._

"_Besides all that doesn't matter."_

"_Why?"_

"_I don't want the crown," DG admitted quietly._

_Azkadelia sat up. "What if Mother and the Council of Lords want you to have it?"_

_DG sighed. "Most of my memories are of a hick town in Kansas, Az. I'm a waitress masquerading as a princess – I would be miserable as queen. I want to spend the rest of my days with the people I love around me and doing something important to help and support the O.Z. without being in a position to screw it up too completely. So, if they do ask, I'll tell them they can collectively shove their request where the sun – "_

"_DG!" Az gasped._

"_I'm joking," the younger princess said soothingly. "But seriously. Az, your road has always led you toward the crown. And even though I mucked everything up so long ago and we took a huge detour, you're back on the path now, and I think – no, I _know _ that you will be an amazing leader."_

_*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*_

Cain took a deep breath and filled the worried parents in on the conversation their daughter's had had a few days previous. He wisely just hit the high points of the conversation, not wanting to worry the queen with DG's truest, and basest, feelings.

When he'd told all he was going to, Lavender Eyes sighed. "I'm not sure what I was expecting, but for some reason that's not it."

"L.E. – " Ahamo warned gently.

"I know, I know," the queen assured him. "I promised to not make any pre-decisions, but you must understand that we're not sure Azkadelia will ever recover. It's been almost a quarter-annual and she still hardly leaves her room. She doesn't seem to _want_ to participate in any of the reconstruction work."

"Give her time," Ahamo urged.

"But how much is enough? What will I tell the Council?"

The Prince Consort huffed out a breath and leaned back in his chair – obviously frustrated. Cain, feeling a little awkward with the husband and wife arguing in front of him, cleared his throat.

"Your Majesty, may I suggest something?" The queen gave a small wave of her hand. "You are the ruler of the O.Z., and Ozma willing, you will reign for many more years. Tell the lords that tradition stands for now, and any decision to the contrary will not be made at this time. What will they do, gossip about you in the court? They cannot force your hand on this, it's not time to pass your crown off anyway."

"But what if _I _am eager for the decision to be made? If DG _is_ chosen there is much lost time to be regained – and she will need all the help she can get, all the time she can get. She will need more training, and to be presented at Court and made eligible for marriage. And then she'll need to pick her consort, which judging from how difficult everything else has been for her that will just be a war from start to finish. And then – "

Ahamo erupted from his chair.

"Enough," he barked at his wife. Cain's eyes bulged a little but he didn't fidget. "When DG was killed you gave her your Light – her second chance. And she had annuals to make herself ready to fulfill her destiny, and you didn't blink an eye about how long it took though all of the O.Z. suffered for it. Now, Azkadelia has been given her own second chance and you won't give her 3 months to try and regain all that she lost?" The Consort took a deep, steadying breath, and knelt down next to his wife. "My heart, I know that your Light in DG connects you to her in a way no one else can understand, but do not let that overshadow your other daughter, who could use your love and support even more now after all that she's been through."

Lavender Eyes visibly wilted under her husband's reprimand. "You're right," she whispered after a moment, her voice wavering. "I'm sorry, Ahamo. I truly do not wish to abandon Az, I've just been so anxious to bring peace to my kingdom again, I'm afraid I've become unreasonably impatient."

Blushing slightly, the queen turned to Cain. "My apologies Commander," she said to him. "I hope you do not find me heartless. And thank you for the sage advice, I will most certainly follow it."

Cain rose, feeling he was being dismissed. "Your Majesty, you are the opposite of heartless. You have more courage and faith than anyone else in the kingdom – for it is by your strength that we find our home restored."

The queen acknowledged his words, then dipped her head. Cain saw a single tear fall before he bowed to her, then the Consort, and excused himself.

)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)

Queen Lavender Eyes called a meeting of the Council of Lords to discuss the matter of picking the Heir Apparent. She asked both of her daughters to be in attendance, and Azkadelia knew she should be there, but couldn't find the courage within herself to sit down on the dais near her mother and face, head on, all the people with fresh memories of the Sorceress. So DG agreed to sit in the gallery above the proceedings with her. Blessedly, her mother told everyone that, because of DG recent illness, she wanted to be away from too much excitement, so no one made a fuss when the two princesses, followed by their guards, entered the gallery shortly before their mother called the meeting to order.

Several Lords addressed the Council, expressing the great divide in the kingdom over which daughter should inherit the crown. Some of them supported Azkadelia taking the crown – believing whole-heartedly in her separation from the witch. Some of them wanted Azkadelia because she was already trained to lead and it was tradition, and the subject of her possession never came up. Some wanted DG to be the heir, because she carried the queen's Light and had never been tainted by evil magic. And some wanted DG because she'd spent so much time on the Other Side, and Outer Zonians tended to look on Other Siders with great reverence.

All while the lords spoke about her, Az felt supportive and comforting glances coming from her sister. While a particularly skeptical Lord Havens droned on about proof of redemption and trust ad nauseum, Cain put a comforting hand on her shoulder, squeezing it every so often. A couple of times, she heard Tannen scoff quietly at something someone said. It gave her a greater measure of courage to know that she had at least these people around that believed in her.

Once everyone had had their say, Queen Lavender Eyes stood up. She seemed deep in thought, but the room remained silent as they waited for their ruler to make a choice. DG reached over and grabbed her sister's hand, squeezing it painfully before shutting her eyes tight.

"The tension is killing me," she murmured.

"DG," Azkadelia whispered back, wincing. "Hey, sis, could you – "

Cain moved from behind DG to sit at her other side. He reached over and gently unlocked the younger princess' hand from her older sister's. DG opened her eyes and gasped in surprise to find Cain's face very near her own.

"Hey kid," he said quietly, putting her hand in his own. "Why don't you squeeze the life out of my hand. I think you broke a couple of Az's bones." He nodded toward the older princess who was smiling at them and shaking her hand out. DG kissed her sister on the cheek in apology and received a smirk of forgiveness back.

Lavender Eyes chose that moment to approach the podium. She held up her hand to get everyone's attention, although the gesture was futile as the room was entirely focused on her already.

Azkadelia watched her mother and felt the air leave her lungs. She wasn't sure what she wanted the outcome to be, but both would have some form devastation in them.

"Breathe, Azkadelia," Tannen whispered against her ear, his breath sending foreign shivers down her spine.

Startled, she sucked in a deep, shaky breath, not realizing how long she'd been holding it out. She turned and gave him a watery smile. "Good idea," she mouthed to him.

"Yeah," he quipped back, before the queen began her address.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Lords of the Council, I have come to my decision. I thank you for your patience as I sought an answer to this pressing concern." Lavender Eyes took a deep breath before continuing. "We cannot restore the O.Z. overnight. Nor should we expect to. And I cannot expect my daughters to be restored overnight, either. Not when they have been so long separated from my husband and I, and each other, and their home land. So, my decision is to let tradition stand, but let any action that that implies be pushed down the road a little bit."

The room buzzed with hushed conversation for a moment. DG reached over again, with her free hand and entwined her fingers with Az's. Tannen watched as Cain squeezed DG's hand and then DG passed the sentiment onto her sister.

The queen continued. "As someone very wise recently reminded me, I am not dying nor am I dead, and Ozma willing, I will have many years to reign in the O.Z. before I need to relinquish my crown. I believe asking the people for a measure of patience is not only wise and prudent, but also the responsible action."

The Queen stepped away from the podium at the time, and signaled two members of the Royal Guard to retire the colors, effectively ending the session. Before the Queen, followed by Ahamo and several advisors, disappeared out of the Council room, she turned and looked up at her daughters. She made a peculiar hand gesture and then disappeared into an antechamber.

DG gasped and Cain went on high alert.

"What is it DG?" he asked, hand on the butt of his gun. "Are you okay?"

DG waved her hand. "Yes, I'm fine. I just remembered something. A good memory," she added with a grin to her sister.

Az smiled. "Did you remember that hand signal from mother?" DG nodded.

Tannen looked puzzled and leaned against the railing in front of the other three. "Oh, so she wasn't just weirdly scratching herself?"

The eldest princess laughed. "No. When DG and I were younger and we weren't allowed at a court functions, Mother would let us peek at what was going on from a balcony or through a door or window or something. When she would see us, if she couldn't get over to talk to us or something, she would put her hand over her heart and pulse her fingers twice. That meant: Two Hearts, Two Loves. It was her way of always being able to tell us that she loved us." Az's smile faded. "After...the, um...after the sorceress came she would always get so angry when Mother would do that to me. It made me stronger," a small self-satisfied smile lit her face, "and made it harder for her to stay in control."

Everyone shared in Az's moment strength before they began to stir. Cain was the first to speak. "Well, Princess," he said to Azkadelia. "I suppose with this announcement from your mother, the people are going to _really_ want to see you at the ball."

Az winced. "I was planning on going," she assured the commander.

"Yeah, and hiding behind the throne," Tannen interjected, with good humor.

Az stuck out her tongue at him and everyone laughed.

"No, I already told you," DG said, pulling her sister to her feet. "The ball will be a good time for you to reconnect with people – and let them see what we see: that you are your own person – free and clear."

"Yes, yes, yes, I remember what you said DG," Azkadelia smiled brightly at her sister. "And you are right, of course."

"I know, as usual," the younger princess quipped before taking off up the stairs of the gallery. Cain patted Az on the arm and followed DG.

Tannen watched as the smile on Azkadelia's face disappeared as soon as her sister turned the corner. In it's place stress and tension reigned.

"Whoa, hold it right there," Tannen reprimanded. "That was a fake smile you plastered across your face for the benefit of DG!"

"So?"

"So what's up?"

The princess sighed. "Nothing, I'm just not sure I actually want to go to the ball."

"But you're dress is ready and you agreed it would be a good time to spend some – "

"I know what I said," Azkadelia interrupted Tannen, a little brusquely. "But if I go and put myself out there I'll be expected to dance and that means that I'll..." she trailed off, not willing to share her growing aversion to the more intimate touches she sometimes had to receive from men – even if they were just gestures of honor and respect.

Luckily, Tannen thought her worries stemmed from something else. "You don't remember how to dance? Haven't you been going to the lessons with your sister?"

"Yes, I know how to dance," Azkadelia scrounged for some way to end the conversation, her emotions were bubbling to close to the surface. "But you're right, it's been awhile and that makes me very nervous."

Tannen chuckled and started up the stairs. "So we'll practice some more," he offered. "You've got nothing to worry about."

"Yep," Azkadelia chimed, putting her fake smile on again as she followed her guard up the steps. "Everything is going to be just fine."

)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)

Later that night, Azkadelia lay in bed, unable to sleep. She heard a snuffling sound outside her door, and got up to find the source. DG stood there, wrapped in a robe and crying.

"Silly girl," she cried. "Why were you just standing there! What's wrong? Come in and talk to me."

DG allowed herself to be drawn into her sister's embrace and led to the couch near the window.

"What's up, DG?" Azkadelia asked, using one of her sister's Other Side phrases.

"Why don't you want to go to the ball Az?" DG asked, wiping her tears on her sleeve. "I mean, really? Tannen mentioned to me earlier that you'd told him you were concerned about the dancing and would I please invite you to my next lesson." The older princess felt the increasingly familiar, but still unnamed emotion settle in her stomach. She chalked it up to feeling cared for – it was very kind of Tannen to think to ask DG to help her. Said princess grunted, bringing her sister's attention back to her.

"I know you know how to dance, Azkadelia. So what's the real reason you don't want to go?"

Az sighed. She was not prepared to have this conversation with anyone, and yet it burned in her – needing to escape. She thought that maybe if she could talk about it, let what happened to her out into the light, it would dissipate like smoke.

"Okay, okay," she said to DG, realizing that her language was getting more and more peppered with her sister's peculiar phrases and words. "I did lie to Tannen, and I'm sorry about that. But he was pestering me about why I didn't want to go to the ball and I just couldn't tell him the real reason."

"What is it?" DG asked, looking desperate. "You can tell me Az, I want to help you."

Biting her lip, Az made up her mind. "DG, I don't want to go to the ball because I don't _want_ to dance."

"So don't."

"I'm sure that would be fine," Az conceded. "But it's more than that. When I was possessed by the Sorceress, some things...happened, and because of that, I'm having a hard time dealing in certain... situations now that I'm myself again." She knew she was speaking in generalities, but by the gods it was hard to get the real words out of her mouth.

DG was instantly suspicious. "What kinds of things happened, Az?"

"Lots of things, but I'm really struggling with the things that the witch did with her general. You remember Zero, right?"

The younger princess gulped audibly and nodded. "You're not talking about murder and robbery and pillaging, are you?" she asked, her voice thickening with fear.

Az shook her head and a sob ripped from DG's throat. "He raped you, didn't he?" she asked, barely understandable.

"Well, sort of," Az confirmed, surprisingly calm and collected. "The witch was very consenting and I was so frightened every time they were together that I was unable to escape into myself like I usually could. And now, I struggle with a great amount of fear and revulsion every time another man comes near me."

"Even Cain and Tannen and Father?" DG asked. "You don't act frightened of them."

"No, it's because I'm not," Az replied. "And I've often wondered about that. I suppose it's because I know them so well, and was forced into their presence while still very weak and vulnerable. Or maybe I learned by trial of fire that they only mean to help. I'm not sure why I can't..." she trailed off, gathering her thoughts. "Anyway, it takes a great amount of concentration and control not to blast away every random dignitary who bends down to kiss my hand or cheek, and it's physically painful for me to even be near any of our poor, unsuspecting dance partners. I'm not sure I have the power to make it through an entire room full of men who might want to touch me – for whatever reason." Azkadelia's heart began to pound at the very thought and she felt herself start to hyperventilate.

DG cried even harder and clung to her sister. "Oh Az, I'm so sorry!"

The eldest princess held on to her sister, letting herself calm down. "I will work through this DG," Azkadelia said. "And don't you be sorry. It's not your fault or your burden to bear."

DG went very still. "That's where you're wrong," she whispered. "This whole thing _is my fault_. Cain says it was just an accident – but that's just not true." Her emotions rose again to the surface, but she plowed through them. "If I hadn't been so head strong and disobedient, we would have never ended up in that cave. And if I hadn't been such coward, we could have defeated that witch then and there. This whole thing is my fault, and I need you to know that I'm so sorry."

"DG please, I don't blame you. We were children and you were scared..."

"No! Azkadelia, please, just admit that it was my fault. Put this where it belongs – this is my burden to carry and I deserve it! I'm so sorry for what I did to you, I'm so so sorry!"

DG sobbed against her sister, who hugged her tightly. She let her mind sift through all that she'd been through over the years – all the blame she'd ever thrown around. She'd told her sister that she didn't blame her, but that wasn't entirely true.

When the witch first took possession, Azkadelia had run the gamut of the blame game. She'd blamed DG for abandoning her, she'd blamed her mother for not recognizing that something was wrong and then saving DG instead of saving her before the witch had even killed the young princess. She blamed her father for being gone all the time and not being around to notice his daughter's predicament until it was too late. She blamed Tutor for not believing DG when she tried to tell him about the cave – the man who knew all of the O.Z.'s dirty, dark secrets and the evils that lurked about. She'd even found a way to blame the people of the O.Z. for not standing up for the House of Gale – for allowing evil to creep in amongst them and get a stranglehold without them noticing.

But as the years went by, she'd learned that the hate associated with blaming everyone else for her circumstances only gave the witch more power. So, she'd let it go – scattering her hurt like so many ashes in the wind. But DG didn't know that, and saying the forgiving words out loud would heal a great wound in both of them.

"DG," Az pushed her sister away from her so she could look her in the face. "I forgive you for any part you think you had in this whole mess. I bear you no hard feelings – I let them go a long time ago, and I want you to do the same. I know that you feel you are to blame for not obeying mother and going into the woods anyway, but – ya'know what? If I hadn't followed you, the witch would have possessed you, and that is not an alternative that I would have liked.

"We all make choices that we are accountable for – but the only one who gets any blame in all of this is the Sorceress – and our Light sent her to a bitter, bitter hell, where she belongs. I forgive you DG, so you must let your pain go."

DG's face crumbled into relief and tears. She pulled Az into a bone-crushing hug. "Thank you," she whispered. "I love you until forever."

"I love you too, DG."

They sat with their arms around each other, rocking back and forth. After a while, Azkadelia felt her sister relax in sleep against her. She was about to lay her down on the couch when Cain burst into the room, startling her.

"Have you seen D...G," he barked quietly, trailing off when he saw the princesses on the couch. "Everything okay?"

Az smiled at the picture he made: shirt mis-buttoned and haphazardly tucked into sleeping pants, his ever present gun belt strapped over the whole mismatched ensemble.

"We're fine," she whispered. "Just exorcising a few demons."

Cain breathed a sigh of relief and stood back on his heels. "She's wanted to have this conversation with you since you took down the Longcoats and slept for three days. It's been stressing her out."

Azkedelia gazed down at her sister, still sleeping. "Silly DG," she whispered, kissing her sister's forehead. "She'll be fine now, I know it."

The ex-tin man came over and picked up DG off of the couch, but he spoke to Azkadelia. "So will you, you know? Be fine, I mean. Maybe not tomorrow or the next day – but I promise that everyday you'll discover a little more of what it means to be _you_ again. And you might not be the same person you were before – but that's all right too. It doesn't mean you've forsaken anything or betrayed anyone – it's just..._life._"

Az smiled at the man before her, tenderly cradling her sister. "You sound like a man with experience in this process," she quipped, knowing full well what he was talking about.

Cain smiled back at her, and let his gaze take in the woman in his arms before he answered. "Well, just enough to tell you to take my promise to the bank."

Tannen burst through the hidden door just then, in his own level of disheveled. "Az, are you all right – is there – oh, hello boss," he said, thoroughly confused.

Cain chuckled. "Don't mind me, Evergreen, I'm just taking DG back to her room." When Tannen still looked confused, Cain added some last instructions before heading out the door. "As you were Lieutenant."

"Yes sir," Tannen said to the closed door. He was obviously very sleepy and not comprehending anything that was going on. "Ummmm..._are_ you all right Your Highness?"

"I'm just fine, thanks, you can go back to bed." Truly, she thought she meant it, but when Azkadelia stood up from the couch, she felt her whole face go flush, and she began to cry in earnest, gulping in air and feeling like she was drowning in her tears.

"Okay. What's going on?"

Az tried to catch her breath and assure the guard that she was fine, but she couldn't. Tannen came over and helped her sit on her couch again. Behind her hiccuping sobs, she noticed that he only had and undershirt and sleeping bottoms on, leaving his strong, lean arms bare. Actually, focusing on all his bared skin helped calm the princess down. When she finally got a reasonable hold on herself, she gave Tannen a shaky smile.

"Honestly, I'm fine."

Tannen snorted, then yawned and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms. "Yeah, because people who are fine burst into hysterical crying at the drop of a hat."

"No," Az protested. "DG and I just had one of those really intense conversations and I'm feeling emotionally drained."

"Are you two okay?"

"Yes, she just came to seek my forgiveness and I told she'd had it all along."

Tannen smiled sleepily. "You're remarkable, you know that?" he asked, sincerity ringing in his tone.

Az was grateful for the darkness and his half-closed eyes that covered the blush his compliment caused her. "Thank you," she replied, and they fell into a sort of awkward and loaded silence.

"Well, then, I'm going to go back to bed?" Tannen asked.

"Yes, of course. Thanks for checking on me."

Tannen nodded and then left her alone. Azkadelia took a deep breath and went back to her bed. A few more tears fell onto her cheeks, but all in all, she felt liberated and empowered.

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	10. Chapter 10

**Note: I forgot to tell ya'll I was going out of town. So that's why no chap went up yesterday. A couple of things: there's been some mention that Raw and Glitch have been swallowed up by the earth. No they are still alive, I just don't write their voices very well – like, at all, so I don't kill myself to do it. This is for fun for me, so yeah, call me Lazy. They do both come back, later, but they're not major players. Some people write those two so well, I'm jealous, but whatev. The next thing is that I don't own Tin Man. Thanks**

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Tia came into the sitting room the next morning, surprised to find she was first one there. She didn't think anything of the princesses sleeping in a little sometimes, especially after a hard night, but it was strange not to find her son and the commander already drinking coffee and reading the newspaper.

After she'd poured herself a cup of tea and sat back for some quiet thinking, Cain wandered into the room. He looked a little rough around the edges.

"Good morning Commander," Tia greeted him. "Did you spend another night sleeping in a chair?"

Cain chuckled. "Not all of it, no."

"Rough night? Why didn't you wake me?" she gently reproached him.

"Actually it was a good night – for both DG and Azkadelia," Cain assured her. "They had a good long talk and Az got DG to let go of all her guilt."

Tia smiled warmly. "I'm glad," she whispered. "In the end, we all must work through our own problems individually – save ourselves, as it were – but the princesses are lucky to have each other."

Cain murmured his agreement, but the conversation ended when Azkadelia appeared at the door leading to her bedroom and Tannen simultaneously appeared at the door from the hallway.

They smiled at each other before greeting the others. Even after she'd accepted a cup of tea from Lady Tia, Azkadelia still had a big smile on her face.

"What has you grinning today, Az?" Tia asked. "Something to share with the rest of us?"

The princess giggled. "Nothing in particular Tia," she said. "I feel...happy and light. Like all my cares are washed away."

Cain chuckled. "It looks good on you Azkadelia."

Az felt herself blush and everyone laughed at her. At that moment, DG burst into the room and fairly flew to her sister. She hugged her tightly before turning to everyone else.

"Good morning everyone," she chirped. "What has my sister a lovely shade of red so early in the morning?"

"I'm feeling happy and they all seem to think it's hilarious," Az said, pretending to be affronted.

Tia laughed. "Not hardly," she assured DG.

The group had a very merry breakfast, with DG and Az seeming to shine brighter than anyone.

"Well ladies," Tia said after a servant came to take the empty dishes away. "You have dress fittings this morning and we better get a move on so we don't keep the Royal seamstress waiting."

DG groaned. "You mean keep the Royal Pain waiting," she muttered to her sister.

Cain heard her and glared at DG. "Do you remember that time," he mused, apparently to no one in particular, "that DG went to her dress fitting and she was very diplomatic and didn't cause a lick of trouble? Does anybody remember that? Best day of my life."

Az and DG rose from the couch. "Very subtle Cain," Az said with a wry grin.

"Just reminiscing," Cain replied, all innocence.

"Yeah, yeah, we get it," DG grumbled, rolling her eyes.

Cain turned to Tannen. "Would you mind accompanying the girls this morning? I've got some letters to write before lunch."

"Not a problem sir," the lieutenant said. Cain excused himself and left the room.

"Insufferable man," DG spat. "Real cute: _Do you remember the time..._" she said mockingly.

Everyone laughed and Az looped her arm through her sister's. "Come on," she said. "Let's go assess the damage to our gowns after the last fittings."

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Actually, neither princess had anything to worry about. The royal seamstress seemed to have come to the conclusion that DG was much easier to work with if one didn't try to stuff her into a rigid mold. She'd kept the younger princesses gown very simple, as per Az's instructions.

Tia sat on a couch, waiting for the girls to get their dresses on and come out in front of the mirrors. Tannen stood at attention to the side of the door, silently wishing _he_ had had some letters to write.

_Lucky Cain,_ he thought. _Always getting out of the boring assignments._

Just then, DG came around the dressing partition, and Tannen smiled, all complaints flying out the window.

_On second thought, _his tune changed, _my job ain't so bad._

The younger princess' gown was a dusty violet with delicate embroidery. The skirt gathered toward one side and her slim shoulders were bare. She looked very different – a far cry from her trousers and tennis shoes. She climbed up onto a stool and let the seamstresses look over the dress.

Tia clapped her hands for the young woman. "You look lovely DG!" she cried. "Truly you do. How you like it?"

DG couldn't help the smile that crept across her face. "Although it's still just _so much_, I actually feel...like a princess."

"Which is the point," Azkadelia called from somewhere in the back of the room.

"You do look amazing, DG," Tannen called to her.

"Thank you Lieutenant, I'm glad you approve." The women working on the gown were done, and had stepped back to admire their work, so DG hopped down from the stool. "Hurry up sister dear, we're waiting for you," she called in a sing-song voice.

Azkadelia came around the partition and Tannen's lungs lost their working ability and DG audibly gasped. The eldest princess was in a deep rose pink dress, with a wide neck and fitted bodice. The skirt of the gown fell in shimmering folds to the floor, the fuller back making a small train behind her.

"Great balls of fire, Azkadelia," DG breathed, her face awestruck. "You look beautiful."

"That color is perfect on you," Tia agreed.

Az's face broke into a happy smile. "It is absolutely gorgeous," she said to the women pulling and tucking all around her. "Thank you for all your hard work."

Tannen just stared, unable to think of anything to say that would do justice to the sight before him. When Azkadelia was asked to turn on the stool to allow easier access to some other part of her gown, she caught his eye. She quirked up an eyebrow at him, and he realized his mouth was gaping open. Shaking his head, he gave the princess a small smile and a thumbs up. _Very nice,_ he mouthed to her. She blushed a little and ducked her head with a small laugh.

Just as the seamstress declared she didn't need the women anymore, Queen Lavender Eyes joined them. The gasps and compliments started all over again, and the queen looked very pleased by her girls' dresses.

"Oh, this is wonderful, you'll both be very beautiful," their mother said. "And I suppose that's a good thing because I have something wonderful to tell you. Sit down girls."

The princesses carefully sat on a couch next to each other.

The queen clasped her hands in front of her, excitement glittering in her eyes. "Your father and I have decided to use the ball this weekend to not only to reunite the people of the O.Z. but to introduce you both to society and declare you eligible for marriage."

The room was stone silent for exactly one second before DG erupted and chaos ensued. The princess began arguing stridently with her mother, who brought it right back to her daughter. There were tears and lots of shouting. Everyone else stood in shock while the queen and her daughter battled, unsure of what to do with themselves.

Tannen looked at Azkadelia, still sitting on the couch, looking pale and frightened. She seemed to not even notice her mother and sister. When she began to shake, Tannen moved to go to her, but his mother was closer and noticed the girl also. Lady Tia helped Azkadelia up, and whispered to her while she led her behind the partition to get changed out of her dress.

DG noticed her sister at that point – and without interrupting the sword-crossing she was in the middle of with her mother – she stomped behind the partition too. Once the princesses were out of their gowns, the seamstresses disappeared, lucky to be out of the crossfire.

When DG finished getting dressed, she stalked out to her mother.

"Over my dead body will you force either of us into a marriage, Mother. It's hardly fair that – for the sake of the comfort of everyone else – we are dropped into a _permanent_ situation following on the heels of some archaic, sexist ritual. You can't make us!" she cried. With that, she yanked her sister out of Tia's grasp and pulled her from the room, storming and thundering all the way.

When the girls were gone, the queen sunk onto the couch. "Good Ozma," she sighed. "What was that?"

Tannen and Tia looked at each other, but neither gave the queen an answer.

Tannen excused himself to follow after the princesses. He caught up to them quickly, despite DG's ground-eating pace. The women were huddled close together, talking intensely, so Tannen followed at a respectful distance. Neither of them noticed him and eventually, pieces of their conversation floated back to him.

Az seemed to be repeating something over and over. It sounded like "I'm not ready, I can't do this", but Tannen couldn't be sure. DG just kept offering soothing words and staunch promises.

"I won't let anything happen to you, I promise," DG said. "None of them will even come near you or touch you or anything."

"Yes they will – they'll all be at the ball! And I can't make excuses for forever!" Az cried.

DG went silent for a moment. When she spoke, it was with hesitation. "Az, maybe you should just tell Mother and Father. Then they would definitely stop this whole thing until you were ready."

"No!" the elder princess practically shouted. "Don't tell anyone DG. It will kill mother and father – and ruin so many things for them. Promise me you won't tell them. Promise!"

DG stared at her sister long and hard. "All right, I promise."

They didn't speak again until they'd reached their suite. Tannen waited a few minutes before entering the sitting room after them and it took all his self-control to not jump all over Azkadelia and make her tell what she was hiding from everyone. He wondered how Cain could just stare at DG and have the princess spilling all her secrets to him. Maybe he should ask his boss to show him how he did it...

Tannen opened his mouth to say something to the princesses, anything to break the awkward silence, when Az looked up and met his eyes. For the second time that day, Tannen couldn't breath. The fear on the princess' face seemed to reach across the room and squeeze his heart mercilessly. Just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore, the door opened behind him and his mother came in, followed by the queen.

DG folded her arms across her chest. "I'm not ready to talk to you yet," she said, quietly but with real anger.

Lavendar Eyes bristled. "Well, that's too bad dear, because I am your mother and sometimes I need to make decisions that – "

"Hold it!" Tia cried. "Stop both of you stop right there." She moved in between DG and Lavender Eyes. "No more fighting – it's only doing you both harm. And your family has seen enough harm and hurt and loneliness to last a hundred lifetimes. Let's not add to it now."

DG unfolded her arms and her mother sighed.

"You're right," they said at the same time.

"I know I am," Tia quipped. "I'm just glad you came around so easily." She respectfully directed the queen to one of the chairs, and indicated that Az and DG should take their seats again. "Now, I'm going to excuse myself, and send Tannen to the hallway, and I want this loving family to talk about the ball and remember while you're talking that no one is the enemy here – we're all on the same side."

Lady Evergreen left the room, taking Tannen with her. Once the door closed behind them, Tannen turned on his mother, anxiety written across his face.

"You can't talk to the Queen of the O.Z. like that mother! Or her daughters, for that matter. Great Glinda, what were you thinking?"

Tia put on her 'I mean business' face. "Son, I'm let you in on a little secret – even the queen of the realm needs some reminders to behave well some times. And this is marriage business is no exception." Tannen started to protest, but his mother stopped him. "The O.Z. is still suffering son – those girls are still suffering. But I believe the queen has their best intentions at heart and she's not telling them they have to be married at the ball, she's just saying it's time to think about it. No harm in that. And it might take DG some time to get used to our different customs, but I think she'll come out just fine."

"But Azkadelia – "

"Leave that be."

"But she's seems so scared, so frightened by the sheer thought of being presented to the court."

"I know," Tia sighed. "And she probably will be for a while."

Tannen squinted his eyes at his mother. "What happened her mother? Has she said anything to you?"

"No, and I won't ask her."

"But she's afraid and – "

Tia interrupted Tannen again. "Son, I know you have the best of intentions, but you need to leave this alone."

"Mother, I think if I just talk to – "

"Tannen Karl Evergreen," Tia snapped. "You cannot save the princess. I know you want to help her – we all do. But Azkadelia has to fight her this particular demon all by herself, I'm sorry. I know it's hard for you to stand by and watch somebody else fight a battle alone. I suppose it's the soldier in you."

"You _do _know what's wrong, don't you?"

"She hasn't said anything to me, but I have my suspicions."

"_Tell me._"

"No," Tia sighed. "I'll not gossip about out future queen." She patted her son on the arm and walked down the hallway. "I'm going to get some tea for the Royal family. You keep good watch out now, will you?"

Tannen allowed himself to slump forward in frustration for just a moment, before straightening and standing at attention.

Mere seconds after he had, Wyatt Cain came around the corner with one of the palace pages. Tannen sighed internally, grateful his boss hadn't caught him shirking, then cringed when he saw lines of anger on the commander's face.

"What is going on around here?" Cain growled. The page cringed away from him. "I try to get a morning's work done and things blow all to the Other Side!"

Tannen should have expected that the news of the fight between the queen and DG would have gone around the palace like lightening, and he felt bad that he hadn't been the one to tell his boss.

"Actually, sir, I think things are calming down. The ladies are in there talking rationally and calmly."

"Well, I need to interrupt them, we've got the Quadling dignitaries stopped to rest and clean up about 15 miles outside of Central City. We're expecting them in about an hour and a half."

"Aren't they a day early?"

"Yes," Cain said with a sigh. "When I'm done here, will you go and talk to Jeb? I'd send a page, but he's going to be really frustrated and I don't want him shooting the messenger. We're going to need an Honor Guard lined up to welcome the Quadlings – and we need them lined up fast – like, yesterday."

The commander turned and knocked on the sitting room door, then poked his head through it. After speaking briefly to the queen, he came back out, frowning. "Well that was odd," he said, his brow furrowed. "One more thing, Evergreen. Are the rumors true? Were DG and her mother fighting about the Queen and Consort wanting to present the girls at court? Open them up to suits of marriage?"

"Yes, that's what started it all," Tannen replied.

"Great Ozma, this is going to _suck_," Cain groused, using one of DG's coarser Other Side words.

"I think I agree, boss," Tannen said, not entirely sure why, but just feeling a little blue about the whole thing.

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The Gale women didn't speak after Tia left for a few minutes. Finally, Lavender Eyes cleared her throat. "I suppose I should start, since I'm the one who dished out all the surprises today. I apologize for springing this on you girls, but really, what I'm asking of you isn't so bad. I want to present you both to the court and let everyone know that, yes, you are both healthy, normal women who will someday want to be married. I'm am certainly not telling you who to marry, DG. Nor you Azkadelia. And I'm not saying you have to hold court with _any_ suitor who comes calling. But you _are_ both of marriageable age, and just because you feel you're not quite ready for marriage doesn't mean that the opportunity you've been waiting for won't come knocking."

A knock sounded on the door, and as one, they turned their heads toward it.

Hesitantly, Wyatt Cain stuck his head into the room and gave the queen a message from one of the pages. DG flushed bright red at the sight of him and Azkadelia had to cover her mouth to stifle her laughter. Luckily Queen Lavender Eyes was busy speaking with Commander Cain and didn't notice the princesses.

DG barely had time to cool down before their mother turned back to them. Az didn't miss the strange, long look Cain gave her sister, and, thankfully, DG missed it, as she was focused on their mother, because it was sending shivers down Az's spine. She could only have imagined what it would have done to DG.

"My darlings," Lavender Eyes said, "I'm afraid I have to run off. I apologize for leaving in the middle of our talk, but the Quadling Emissary is headed this way, and he and his entourage are a day early. I must go get things ready. Can we resume this discussion later?"

DG looked at Az, who nodded ever so slightly, then turned back to their mother. "Actually, Mother, it's all right. We'll be presented at court, if you're all right that we take the whole suitor thing a little slow."

The queen's eyes lit up. "Really? Oh thank you!" she said, her relief obvious. "And yes, of course, you may take this whole process at your own pace." She stepped over and gave each of the daughters a kiss on the cheek. "I'll send the Mistress of Etiquette over after dinner this evening and she'll get you ready for that portion of the ball."

With that little bomb, the queen exited the room.

DG didn't even have time to complain about having to meet with the Mistress of Etiquette before Azkadelia slapped her on the arm.

"Ow," the younger princess cried. "What was that for?"

Az put on her best serious expression and pointed a finger in her sister's face. "For not telling me you are in _love_ with Wyatt Cain, that's what that was for!"

"What?" DG scoffed, a little too forcefully. "Are you crazy?"

"Yes, some days I think I am," Az said. "But I saw the color you went when he poked his head through the door, and I've been watching you two for months now. I knew you cared for him – but I've just realized that you love him!"

DG spent a few moments looking contrary, but finally her facade crumpled. "I do," she sighed. "I can't help it. I love everything about him. I love that he's so cantankerous and grumpy. I love that he is direct and I love that he never has a wasted motion. Watching him is like reading poetry. I love that he is abrupt and stoic. And oh heavens – his _eyes._" The women giggled like they were teenagers. DG's smile faded quickly. "But I don't know if he loves me," she confided sadly.

Azkadelia scoffed at her sister. "Puh-lease Deeg," Az scoffed. "Of course he does. I've seen the way he looks at you and it's...romantic and fluffy and sappy and lovey-dovey – all rolled into one," she assured her. "But in a very 'Wyatt Cain, Tin Man' kind of way of course."

DG laughed without heart. "But he loved his wife," she whispered. "And he didn't just 'love her' love her. He burned and pined for her, and I don't think I could ever compete with that."

Azkadelia felt her sister's pain acutely. "I don't think he would ever ask you to," she said.

"Exactly," DG sighed. "Which is why I'll end up married to some snooty Lord So-and-So and be miserable for all my days."

Az laughed at her sister's dramatics. "I didn't say that Cain _can't_ love you," she pointed out. "I just said I don't think he would ever want you to compete with Adora. I am sure that your Tin Man loves you for exactly who you are – not because you are a visage of his late wife. The heart is bigger than we think DG, and I know that our commander has room in his to love you forever."

Tears sprang to DG's eyes. "And it is wisdom and speeches like that that will make you a powerful Queen of the O.Z." She hugged her sister. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Az said. "Now, are you going to tell him that you're in love with him or what?"

DG let out a short bark of laughter. "Ha! Yeah...no. I don't think that would go over very well," she quipped. "Besides what the hell would I say? 'Heya Wyatt! Ummmm...so I've been in love with you since I first laid eyes on ya and boy howdy it would sure be grand if you loved me back? Care to be royalty for the rest of your life?' Like I said, wouldn't go over very well."

Az patted her sister's hand. "Well, it'll work out how it's supposed to, you'll see."

"Until then I guess we're goin' courtin'."

"Oh, great," Azkadelia said under her breath, trying to stop her racing heart and squeezing lungs.

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Azkadelia had another nightmare that night. Another screaming, tear-her-hair-out, soul-draining one. It took both Tannen and Tia to wake her and she cried so hard into the motherly woman's arms, she couldn't breath. Watching her lips turn blue, Tannen finally propped her up against his chest, giving her lungs space to work, while his mother fussed and soothed.

When Azkadelia calmed down, Tia asked if she wanted to go out into the gardens, but the Princess shook her head, still taking in heavy, hiccuping breaths.

"What was your dream about this time?" Tannen asked softly.

Without thinking, Azkadelia answered him. "Zero."

"Why does he scare you, Az, what did he do?"

She realized where she was, laying up against Tannen, and panicked. She rolled away from her guard and started crying again, but she wouldn't answer him.

Frustrated, Tannen stalked away from her bed, fisting his fingers in his hair, making it stand on end.

"What's wrong with her?" he cried.

Tia heard what Az said, and saw the princess' reaction to her son and felt several puzzle pieces fall into place in her mind. She no longer had just a suspicion.

She shushed her son. "Patience, child of mine," she admonished and signaled that he should go back to bed. When Azkadelia was ready, she would open up about her experiences with Zero, and she didn't think her son needed to hear them.

She didn't watch for him to leave though, so Tannen stayed in the shadows, observing her try to relieve the sobbing princess' distress. Softly, she began to sing a song – an old O.Z. lullaby, one he remembered her singing to his brothers and him as children.

The song calmed Azkadelia remarkably fast. Her breathing slowed and she appeared to slip into slumber. With a gentle hand, Tia smoothed the hair away from Azkadelia's forehead, and wiped away the perspiration there.

"May Glinda watch over your slumber," she crooned quietly. "Sleep well Your Highness." Tia left, leaving Tannen standing in silent watch.

Just as he felt sleep tug at the corners of his mind, Azkadelia called out to him.

"Did you tell her?" she asked.

"Tell her what?"

"About what I did when the witch possessed me. How I sang to myself."

Tannen caught up to her quickly. "Oh. Oh, no, Az, I didn't," he reassured the princess. "I kept your confidence."

"Then how did she know?"

"Know what?" he asked patiently.

"To sing that song to me?"

Tannen took a few steps toward the bed, but the princess' back was too him and she didn't move. "It was just a lullaby she used to sing to me when I was little, one of her favorites, I believe."

Azkadelia didn't say anything for a long minute. "Oh," she finally sighed.

"Why do you ask?" She didn't answer right away and Tannen fairly burned to know the answer.

"That was the song that was stuck in my head – the day I learned to drown out the witch. The only day I have no memories of."

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	11. Chapter 11

**If you are reading this, it is a rewrite of the old chapter 11. There is more coming soon. See the end for a full explanation.**

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After the scramble to assemble an Honor Guard for the Quadling Emissary the previous day, Jeb Cain wasn't sure what to expect when he received a note from his father to come to a security meeting at the palace. He arrived right on time and asked for directions to the security office. He hadn't been there often enough to not get lost. When he entered the room, he found Tannen and all the other members of the Royal Guard sitting around a conference table, and he noticed his friend looked weary and stressed.

"Everything all right?" Jeb asked, taking a seat next to Tannen.

"Yeah, sure," the lieutenant commander answered. "Just a long night on the heels of a crazy day."

Jeb couldn't resist the chance to get back some of his own. "Princess duty taking it's toll, huh?"

Tannen recognized the jab was a tease, so he smiled. "Something like that."

But his friend's eyes were so bleary, Jeb couldn't continue joking with him. "Anybody know what this meeting's about? And where's my father?" he asked, changing the subject.

Tannen was being strangely tight-lipped, but luckily, Runsfield had no problems loosening his tongue.

"We heard that the queen decided yesterday to introduce her daughters to society at the ball and allow them to be courted. But with their security being such a high priority right now, the commander's been asked to provide a constant, 24 hour guard to be with each of her girls at all times – even when they're with a suitor. Your dad's really mad about it. I heard he told the queen she was crazy – but that's just a rumor."

Jeb looked puzzled. "Wait, why would my father be mad? I mean, don't you all guard the girls all the time anyway?"

"Well, yeah, but Jeb, your dad is – " A swift elbow to the ribs from a more conscientious person silenced Runsfield.

"Overworked already," Tannen finished the other guard's thought and was puzzled by the rude interruption. "He's the only one who is willing to be on DG's security detail, so he's already counting the nights of sleep he'll be missing."

Jeb felt like _he_ was missing something important, but didn't have time to dwell on it because Wyatt Cain entered the room just then, rolling in like a thundercloud.

"We got everybody here?" he barked, looking around. "Oh, Jeb, good, you made it, thanks son," he said. He reached out and shook his son's hand, clamping him on the shoulder. "All right, not only do we have the Quadling Emissary and entourage here, and ball coming up in few days and all the new security protocols that will go along with that, but, as I'm sure you all heard, the princesses will start accepting suitors after the ball. And the Queen and Consort are heavily concerned with their safety. That means, starting after the ball, we will be bringing on at least ten new guards – and doubling the princesses' security detail."

A couple of groans sounded from the back of the table. "Enough," Cain grumbled. "Don't worry, I won't put any of you on the Princess DG's detail unless you specifically sign up for it and can come to some sort of peace accord with her." The mood in the room lightened considerably.

The commander continued. "I will be posting the new guard stations tomorrow morning – these go into effect immediately. I will also be posting your new rotations – reflecting the doubling of the guard. These will go into effect after the ball. All right, other than Jeb, who is I'm sure as confused as he could be, are there any questions?" No one raised a hand. "You're all dismissed. Remember, we run drills tomorrow morning at sunrise, and you'd all better be on time...Layton, you especially."

The men quickly left the room, leaving Cain and Jeb and Tannen seated around the table.

"So, Dad," Jeb started the conversation. "What did you need me for?"

Cain took a seat opposite the table from his son and lieutenant. "I need the names of ten good men from the army who might be willing to sign up with the Royal Guard. I don't have time to post the openings and screen any applicants – and I trust your judgment to get me skilled, solid men."

Jeb felt his chest swell a little. "I'll give you a list and send them your way today, Dad."

"Thanks Jeb."

"Is there anything else?"

"Yeah, how would you like to be on DG's security detail?"

The question took Jeb by surprise. "What? Me? Why?"

Cain and Tannen laughed. "I wonder if DG knew the effect she had on all these pitiable guards if she would cut them some slack," Tannen asked with a grin.

"Not likely," Cain affirmed dryly. "Son, if you can't tell, _no one_ wants to be on DG's security detail. She's stubborn as hell, honestly, and she doesn't enjoy the constant presence of guards so she is prone to giving them the slip, which makes them look bad, and makes me very grumpy. However, she likes you and trusts you and promised me that if I could get you to be her second guard, she would be very well behaved for you." Cain's attention focused on the reports on the table and he chuckled at some private memory, lost in thought for a moment.

Jeb looked confused, then Tannen saw a flicker of understanding cross his face. Just briefly though, and then he closed off.

"Yeah Dad, I'll think about it. I mean, I probably could for while anyway. I couldn't abandon the army for forever."

"Of course not," Cain replied, focusing again on his son. "And I wouldn't ask you too. Everyone tells me you're doing very well there, and that I should be very proud of you. And I am. And your mother would be too."

Jeb visibly flinched at the mention of his mother. Before Wyatt had a chance to say anything else, DG appeared at the door of the security office, her hands on her hips.

"Wyatt Cain," she cried, speaking so quickly they could hardly keep up. "What did you do to my mother? She is in a tizzy and I have another gown fitting in a half an hour that I need her to be in a good mood for because I made the seamstress make some changes to my dress that she is not going to like."

"I didn't do anything to your mother but point out some obvious security flaws in her plans to have you and Azkadelia holding court all over the palace."

The princess' hands slammed into the side of her head. "Well, you need to come with me and calm her down so she doesn't start anything with the seamstress. Tin Man, I swear by all that is holy if my mother throws a fit about my dress design because she got in an argument with you..." The threat hung in the air.

Cain groaned and turned his attention back to his son and lieutenant. "Will you excuse me? I'm going to go...put out some fires." He grabbed DG by the arm and dragged her out of the room, protesting loudly the whole way.

"He loves her," Jeb said quietly once they were gone.

"What?" Tannen asked, not sure if he'd heard his friend.

"He loves her," Jeb repeated. "Doesn't he? I mean, does he? You spend more time with him than I do. Does he love her?"

Tannen felt his mouth forming words, but for a moment, no sound came out. "I don't know," he finally said to the younger man. "I mean, they definitely are close, they have good rapport. And he spends almost all his time with her..." Tannen faded out when he realized that all this evidence was making his friend a little green. "Is there a problem if he does, Jeb?" he asked hesitantly.

Surprisingly, tears sprang to the young man's eyes. "She loved him and mourned until the day she died," he whispered, it took Tannen only a split second to know he meant his mother, Adora.

"From what I've heard of your father's story, he mourned her too. All those years in the suit he loved her and mourned her, too."

"But how could he just throw her memory away like that? And for someone not much older than I am!"

Tannen wanted to proceed carefully, acknowledging his friend's feelings of betrayal was probably a good place to start.

"I know this must come as a shock, Jeb, and frankly, it does to me too, but apparently I'm obtuse," he quipped. "But your father has been alone for many years and time gives us perspective on our heartbreak. I don't think it means your father has stopped loving your mother – or you – he's just opened his heart to new love."

Jeb sat silently for a long time, running his fingers through his hair every a few times. "I don't know if I can do this," he finally said. "Be her guard, I mean."

"Jeb, she's still the same DG that you know and trust. And he's still the same father that you're trying to rebuild a relationship with. It's just now, they have each other too, and honestly, looking at it now, through this lens, I think they are better for their connection, stronger even."

Standing abruptly, Jeb gathered his hat and jacket. "Tell my dad I'll send the new recruits his way, and I'll join him when I can. When I'm sure I can handle it...I just need to think some things through." He left quickly, leaving Tannen alone in the room.

_By the gods_, he thought,_ life in this palace is so complicated!_

He stood and headed in the direction of the Royal Seamstress' office, thinking that maybe he should back his boss up – especially if he was going up against two Gale women.

)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)

Azkadelia stared out her window. The ball was now only a few days away, and though preparations had reached a fever-pitch around the palace, the Royal family's drama had calmed down considerably. Az's own personal drama certainly hadn't, but if she stayed in her room then her mother and DG didn't really notice. Or, they did, but neither managed to coax Az out of her funk.

When her mother announced that her daughters would begin to hold court – looking for their consorts – Azkadelia didn't think about sweet words or flowers or poetry. She didn't think about a wedding gown or banquets or anything. Her mind went immediately to the wedding night and she felt ill. She tried to picture a night full of love and tenderness – but any sentiment from it was lost in the violent fear she felt picturing any of the dignitaries from the Court even coming near her – let alone near her with out her clothes on. Horrible memories filled her head, crowding out all else. In the midst of the worst of the memories, it was all she could do to remember any tune that might drown out the darkness.

The princess had to take a couple of deep breaths to keep from needing to race to her bathroom. She was startled out of her nausea by her sister bursting into her room.

"Hello gorgeous!" DG crooned. "Oh, good, you're dressed. Come on, I want you to come with Cain and I. He's giving me a shooting lesson and I'm so nervous about it I can't put two words together intelligently." DG started digging through Az's armoire, searching for a good walking jacket.

"Why are you nervous?" the eldest princess asked. "You've had a shooting lesson before."

"Yes, but the last one was before I admitted to myself that I was in love with Wyatt Cain. And now, I'm acting weird around him, and he's acting weird around me and we're acting weird around everyone else and I need you to come along and be an objective observer. Tell me that we're not being strange around each other – that everything is still the same."

Az sighed. "I'm not really feeling up to it, DG. I'm tired and – "

"Azkadelia, I am not letting you out of this," DG scolded. "Since Mother's announcement about our coming out, you've been moping around. I told you I would tell our parents that you weren't ready for this, why don't you let me do that and you can quit stressing about it until you are ready?"

"No," Az replied. "I will be fine."

"Then come outside with me."

"I'm not sure I want to."

DG whipped around and stomped toward the door. She threw it open with flair. "Lieutenant Commander Evergreen," she called sweetly. "My sister needs you in here."

It took Tannen a moment to come in from where he was standing guard outside the sitting room door.

"What can I do for you, DG?"

"No, I don't need you, I said my sister needs you." Was it just her or did that make the man blush? DG tucked that bit of information away for later examination. "I have a shooting lesson in a few minutes and my sister would like to go – " DG spoke over all of Az's protests. " – but she seems to have lost the use of her legs. If she doesn't regain her strength within the next few minutes, you'll need to carry her to the car – like a _sack of potatoes._" This last she shot at her sister with narrow, threatening eyes. "I'm going to go ask your mother to help me get a blanket we can sit on and maybe scrounge up some snacks. We'll be leaving in five minutes." With that announcement, the princess flounced out of the room to find Tia.

Az rolled her eyes, then grew uncomfortable. She hadn't been alone with Tannen since her mother's announcement and she wasn't sure how she should be reacting. The night he held her after her nightmare of Zero burned in her mind. The horror of her dream had lingered in her after she'd woken and it had taken her a moment to realize that the calming, comforting strength behind her was a man. The thought frightened her momentarily, and she'd shunned him. She hadn't meant to, she never thought that Tannen would do something like what Zero had done with her, or the witch more specifically – but she hadn't been thinking clearly.

She still really wasn't.

Tannen cleared his throat. "Are you all right Az?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," Azkadelia assured him, but she couldn't quite look him in the eye.

"Let's move people!" DG called from the sitting room.

Tannen laughed. "Do you need anything before we leave?"

"No, DG got everything I need."

)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)

The group driving to the 'shooting range' (as Cain referred to a meadow surrounded by scraggly woods where he took recruits to test sharp shooting skills) was a quiet one. Not even Tia tried to engage anyone in conversation. No one was unhappy, per say, but the tension was thick through the air in the automobile.

When they finally reached the meadow outside the city everyone breathed a sigh of relief to be out of the car and have clear air to breath.

Cain a grabbed his gun case and waited for DG to finish whispering to her sister.

"You ready DG?" he asked after a moment. The princesses both jumped and turned to him.

"Yes," DG squeaked, making her go red in the face.

"What is going on with her?" Cain murmured to Tannen, who was standing at his side. "She's acting like I'm going to bite her or something." The lieutenant jumped guiltily.

"I wouldn't know anything about that, boss," the man said before scurrying away. Cain glared at his second-in-command, worried there must be something in the water getting to everyone around him.

DG walked over to him, looking nervous and the commander grumbled under his breath. He held out an arm for DG to take and he led her out to the far side of the meadow before setting down his gun case. They were still in sight of the rest of the group, but not by much. The princess studied her toes and her nails diligently.

"Kid, you all right?"

"Y-yes," DG answered. "Do I seem not all right?"

"Well, you've been a little...skittish the past few days."

"I have been?"

Cain just grunted. "Do you not want to shoot today? We can go home if you like."

"No!" DG protested, a little too loudly. "I do want to be here. Things have been so crazy lately – with the ball coming up and getting ready for all the pomp and circumstance of my coming out I just need to shoot something. Into little, teeny-tiny pieces."

"Well let's get started," Cain said with a laugh.

Wyatt went through his normal safety and technique speeches, which DG tried to listen to very carefully even though she'd heard them before. When he was through, he held up a rifle for the princess.

"Ready?"

DG nodded and took the rifle and assumed her shooting stance. She fired off a couple of rounds and didn't hit even remotely near any of the set up targets.

"Damn it," she hissed. "How am I supposed to pulverize something if I can't hit it?"

Cain stepped up behind DG. "Okay, calm down, we can fix this," he said. "Let's address a couple of things. First," he used his boot to kick out her feet a little further. "You need to widen your stance a little bit." Next, he put his hands on her hips and jostled them back and forth a little bit. "Remember to keep your hips relaxed," he instructed, stilling her with a firm squeeze that took DG's breath away. Then, he brought his hands up to the princess' shoulders and rubbed and she relaxed them with an internal groan of pleasure. "Finally, you're never going to sight a target successfully with your shoulders bunched up near your ears. Got it?" She could only nod. She brought the rifle up to her shoulder.

Cain dropped his hands, but stayed close behind her. "You can do this," he whispered next to her ear. DG forced herself not to visibly shiver, but she fairly trembled when his breath brushed against her neck.

"Take a breath," Cain instructed. DG took a shaky one.

"Let it out and hold it." She obeyed.

"Fire." Her shot hit the target.

She felt, rather than saw, Cain smile. "Good job darlin'," he complimented. She had no answer for him, as she desperately tried to reign in the wild flutter of her heart at his nearness.

"What's wrong, DG?" Cain asked when the princess just stood there, still sighting down the barrel of her gun, but not shooting. He moved around her and moved to take the gun. DG dropped it from her shoulder and put her chin down and shut her eyes. He took a hold of the rifle, wrapping a hand around hers. He pulled her closer, and put his other hand under her chin, pulling her face up to look into his. "Tell me what's going on," he urged.

DG opened her eyes and found the commander's face very close to hers. Her heart clenched, matching what her stomach was doing. "I...I, um...I feel like..." she trailed off, unable to finish a thought with his lips so close to hers and his eyes piercing right through her. When Cain's eyebrow quirked up at her so adorably, DG lost all sense. Using the gun still between them, she yanked the ex-tin man to her and pressed her lips to his. It was a delicious kiss – and for the briefest of moments, she felt him respond to her before he grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her away from him.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked, obviously shaken.

"That's what's wrong with me," DG answered, her parted lips letting out little puffs of breath. "I've wanted to do that for so long. It's been just killing me."

Cain couldn't say anything for a moment, his emotions storming inside him. There was so much he hadn't admitted to himself, so much he hadn't wanted to think about when it came to the princess. But when she kissed him – all that fell away. Since she let him out of that prison suit, it had only been her. That didn't mean it was right for her though, he reminded himself. And, as usual, that stringently moral code won over his heart and soul.

Cain pulled back even further. "You shouldn't be doing that DG," he ordered, somehow managing to make his voice steady and his reprimand firm. "I'm the Head of the Royal Guard, I'm not your distraction. Besides, you don't really want me."

The princess winced. "I do," she protested, trying to look him in the eye – but he wouldn't meet her gaze. "And you're not a distraction."

"Then I'm a preoccupation – something passing."

_A preoccupation?_ This smarted DG's pride and seemed to her proof that he still mourned Adora – and probably always would. It made her feel like a fool, and she couldn't stop the tears that welled up in her eyes. "Fine," she hissed before turning around and running back across the field toward the automobile.

Cain watched her go, bending to pick up the gun case, he groaned silently, still feeling her lips on his. He shouldn't have let that happen – not any of it. How could he go back to his noble high ground knowing that the princess tasted far better than he could have ever imagined.

Mentally beating himself up, Cain trotted after DG, not very anxious to join the rest of the group.

)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)

**Author's note: So, hi ya'll! I quit updating this story (even though it's all done) because I ran into some major road blocks. I mentioned at one point that I didn't like some of my interactions between C/DG. But I just picked an edit that was the least of the evils and moved on. Well, a couple of chaps later (the ball scene to be precise) I start editing and realize that I didn't really like how that was going either. But I pressed on and got all ready to post it when I realized: hey! This is all part of the learning process here – at least it is for me. Why post something I don't really like? So, I went back to where I first started to feel hinky about the whole thing and I started over. So, everything from Chapter 11 (this one) through the end is a huge revision. Some of it later down the line, you won't ever catch cause you'll have never seen it before. Sorry for those of you that have stuck with me so far and are getting these revisions. I know this is really obnoxious, but I have been really taught by the process of having to really think through the sections I didn't like and figure out how to make them better. It's been so revealing! Anyway, happy reading.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: There were lots of changes made to this chapter also, to bring the story into line and to fix some OOC incidents. If you can name the musical I reference here you get 10pts.! It was, until recently I believe, the longest running musical ever/ But it is a little obscure – although there is a movie version. And we see in this chap where Ambrose and Raw are, but this is one of the last references to them. Sorry to everybody that absolutely loves them.**

**I own nothing having to do with Tin Man and all mistakes are mine.**

)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)

After Cain and DG walked across the meadow, Azkadelia sighed and picked up the ground covering Tia had packed. She spread it on the mossy-ground and sat down. Lady Tia sat next to her and Tannen took a protective stance a few feet away, with a good view of the road and the woods behind them.

The princess sat stiffly, but after a few minutes not even she could deny the bone-melting warmth of the suns shining down on her and she relaxed back on her hands with a sigh.

"Feels wonderful, doesn't it?" Tia asked Az with a smile.

"Yes," Az breathed. "I haven't really had a chance to sit out in the suns like this since we got back to Central City."

"Haven't had a chance, or haven't taken it?" the older woman inquired, not unkindly.

The princess grimaced. "Haven't taken it, I suppose," she admitted.

"People were starting to think I was keeping you prisoner," Tannen called to her.

Azkadelia smirked at him. "Ha ha, very funny," she said dryly.

"It's not a joke," Tannen told her. "I'm beginning to get a terrible reputation as a bodyguard. The other guys are saying I got this rotation 'cause I wouldn't be any good at protecting someone who _actually _moves around."

Azkadelia blushed and Tia took pity on her.

"Stop teasing her son," Tannen's mother admonished him. "What with her fair skin, she has probably been avoiding the suns to keep from getting freckles."

Tannen grabbed a parasol from the trunk of the vehicle and jogged over to the blanket. He popped the parasol open and handed it to the princess. "Well, we couldn't have that," he said quietly, still bent down to her. "Sunburn'll clash with your ball gown I think."

Az accepted the parasol, smiling and shaking her head.

"Tannen Evergreen, you are incorrigible," Tia said with a laugh.

Tannen shared his mother's laughter before going back to his position. The two women sat in silence for a while, watching Cain and DG get smaller and smaller across the meadow. Finally, Tia broke the silence.

"Tell me, Your Highness, what's been rattling around in that soul of yours lately? You've been awfully quiet the past few days."

"Not much," Az replied, thinking how apropos it was to refer to something as rattling around in her soul. Rattling referred to an empty vessel, which she certainly felt like.

"I hardly believe that," Tia said. "You can talk to me, you know. I'm hear to listen and help. Really, I'm probably the oldest person in your acquaintance, so you _should_ be coming to me with what's on your mind – I have the most life experience."

This earned Lady Evergreen a smile from the princess. "All right, O Aged One," Azkadelia teased. "I do have a question. Have you ever felt...hollow, or vacant on the inside?"

"I'm not sure what you mean, my dear."

"Well, I'm not sure I do either. I mean, the witch's voice is gone from my mind, and so is her evil, but at times I feel...burned out. Like the charred walls of a house gutted by a fire."

Tia looked thoughtful for a moment before she took a deep breath. "Look at that meadow Your Highness," she said waving a hand in front of them. "It's full of wild flowers and beautiful plants and mosses. But if someone were to come along and tear out all that beautiful ground covering, you would be left with an empty field. And there's no telling what would grow in place of all those beautiful things. If the birds drop more flower seeds, then that is what will grow. If the wind blows in weeds and thistles, then that is what will grow."

Tia carefully weighed her next words. "I think you are like a field – once full of beauty and love and security. When the witch came along, she ripped all that out and sowed terror and hurt. Your Light – and your sister's – weeded out the witch's thistles, but now you are empty again, and must decide what you would like to grow."

"That's not a hard decision," Azkadelia whispered. "I want love and forgiveness and acceptance. No more hate or anger; no more fear."

"Good, then."

Az sighed sadly. "But I don't know how to do it. And even if I did, it's not like I can control other people. Heavens, I can't really even control myself – even though she's gone, the Sorceress' legacy has me in a stranglehold most of the time."

"How?"

"I'm sure you've heard DG talk about Raw?" Tia nodded. "Did you know he is coming to the ball? DG sent a special messenger to make sure he came back for it. She's missed him since he went home and she absolutely cannot wait to see him. She's talking about all the things we'll be doing together."

Tia wasn't sure what this had to do with anything, but she didn't mind the tangent. "That sounds lovely."

"It's not," Az told her, her voice wavering. "I mean, it is for DG, but I can't be around a Viewer – and especially not Raw. Not after everything the witch did to his people, and more specifically, to him. There's so much pain in my memories and it only doubles theirs."

"Ah, I think I understand something now," Tia said softly. "Though my son was teasing you about being a prisoner, there is some truth in his jest. You've been reluctant to go outside and see the people see your face."

"Yes, that's right. But it is getting better," the princess quickly reassured her. "More people are starting to accept that I'm not the Sorceress, and they don't always look at me with fear and anguish. Even Ambrose has started interacting with me more – although it's a slow process, rebuilding _that_ relationship, and he hasn't had a lot of time to help me – especially after they restored his mind." Azkadelia took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I'm tired of feeling desolate and guilty but I don't know how to change that. You can tell people until you are blue in the face that you mean them no harm, that you are not the witch that terrorized them, but it doesn't mean they believe you."

"Ah, that is a difficult position you are in," Tia admitted.

"How can I change it? How do I grow flowers instead of thistles?"

"You must _plant_ flowers instead of thistles," Lady Evergreen explained, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"But what does that mean?"

"Your Highness, one of the law's of nature is the law of the harvest. If you plant rose, you get a rose. If you plant a walnut tree, you get a walnut tree. Plant a radish, get a radish. The same applies to our souls. If you go about sowing love among your fellow Outer Zonians, you will get it back. Maybe not right away, but you will. If you give forgiveness, you will get it in return. The law of the harvest will prove you, I promise. Give what you desire to others and you will find it comes back to you ten-fold."

A tear slipped down Azkadelia's cheek. She reached over and grasped Tia's hand in hers. "You are very wise, Lady Evergreen. Thank you."

The older woman scoffed. "Hardly wise my dear. Just married to a glorified farmer for several wonderful years. I picked up a thing or two along the way."

Az smiled. "DG was right," she admitted wiping away her tears. " And I promise that I will put myself out there – give of myself to the people who come to see us at the ball. It's a good place to start, I suppose." She sounded nervous, but resolute.

"Good girl," Tia said, patting Az on the cheek with affection.

Tannen joined them then, his face a little red. "Mind if I sit down?" He sounded funny too.

"What's wrong?" Az asked him.

"Nothing," he answered, far too quickly. "Just thought I'd come over and sit for a spell, that's all. Can't a guy sit for a spell in peace?"

"Of course he can," Tia replied. "Unless that guy is acting like he just stole a cookie from the jar, in which case he will be grilled until he tells his secrets."

"Wait, are you blushing?" the princess asked him.

Tannen's cheeks got more red. "No..."

Az and Lady Tia continued to tease the poor man – but he held firm and wouldn't say what made him so embarrassed. Soon, though, they were interrupted by DG, storming in from across the meadow.

"I'll be in the car," she huffed.

"DG what's the matter?" Az called to her sister. The younger princess didn't answer, just slid into the vehicle.

Az started to get up, but Lady Evergreen stopped her.

"I'll go, Your Highness," she said. Tannen helped his mother to her feet, then dropped back down beside Az. "Well, that was strange," he said.

Azkadelia nodded. "Here comes Cain, maybe he can shed some light on the situation." They both watched Cain stride toward them. Anxiety rang off him, but when he noticed they were looking at him, he shook off the tension and offered a small smile.

"Mr. Cain, sit down," Azkadelia offered, when he reached them.

"Thanks." Wyatt sank down gratefully, leaning back on his elbow and scrutinizing the woman sitting in front of him with his usual terseness. "Well," he drawled, "aren't you just sittin' here pretty as a picture with that little umbrella?"

Az laughed. "It's a parasol, Cain," she corrected him.

"Oh, sure sure," he said dismissively.

"Is everything all right?" she asked quietly.

Cain frowned momentarily. "Yeah, she's just mad at me," he explained. "Nothing new."

Azkadelia looked over at Tannen, wanting him to help her interpret the stoic tin man, but she found him studying the pattern on the blanket beneath him – avoiding both of them. She hummed for a moment, then decided to just let everything work itself out. "Well, I'm sure whatever she's upset about will work itself out in time," she said.

Cain just shrugged, then changed the subject. "You and Lady Tia looked like you were having a really intense conversation. Everything okay?"

"Yes, she was just teaching me how to harvest." Tannen looked up at her comment and grinned.

"Huh?"

Az chuckled at the confusion on Cain's face. "I've been feeling very empty lately, pointless maybe. Tia just taught me the law of the harvest – I have to sow the seeds of the things I want in my life before they will blossom and grow."

Understanding crossed the commander's face. "I get that," he said. He turned to Tannen. "Will you excuse us for a moment Evergreen?"

"Of course." Tannen leapt to his feet and started patrolling a wide circle around the automobile and blanket.

Cain turned back to Azkadelia. "May I share something personal with you, Your Highness?" Az nodded. "I used to feel the same way."

"After DG got you out of the suit?" Now Cain nodded. "I can understand that," she empathized. "What did you do?"

"Well, I lucked out that right after I got free I had a Sorceress to defeat," Cain explained and Az grimaced. "That gave me purpose. And in pursuing my purpose I found that I had friends – wonderful, if annoying friends. And then I found my son, and then I found – "

He stopped speaking abruptly and Az almost asked him the last thing he found, but something in his face stopped her. It was a blend of frustration and sadness. She thought she saw a little hope there as well. Az reached out a hand and squeezed his arm.

"I'm sorry for everything that happened to you," she whispered.

"You have nothing to apologize for," Cain replied, looking her in the eye.

"I know, but I have memories of you and your son – of your dealings with the witch and her Longcoats." Az stopped, choked up. Tears sprang to her eyes, but she would have her say to this man so she continued. "And I want you to know that I feel...I _feel for you._ I feel sorrow for what happened to you and I feel such great joy that you have good things in your life now."

Tears poured freely down her cheeks and Cain's eyes misted over as well. He picked up her hand from his arm and kissed the backs of her fingers. "Thank you," he whispered.

Az gave the commander – her friend – a watery smile, and it never crossed her mind to shrink from him.

The moment dissipated when Tia came back toward them.

"I think DG is ready to go home, Commander," the older woman said carefully.

The sad sigh that escaped Cain's mouth wrenched Azkadelia's heart and she squeezed his hand still in hers reassuringly. "All right, I'll gather everything up," he said.

Tannen saw his boss walk toward the automobile with his mother, so he went back to the blanket and helped Az to her feet. Together they picked up the blanket and shook it out.

"You heard all that," Azkadelia said. It was a statement, not a question.

"I did," Tannen admitted. "But I wasn't eavesdropping, I promise, I just didn't get far enough away before you started talking. And I didn't catch everything, so I don't – "

"It's all right, I don't mind that you heard," the princess assured him as they began to fold the ground-covering. "You're my bodyguard – you probably know more about me than I know about me."

"And yet, I still like you," he quipped, keeping it light. Az rewarded him with a smile, which he returned, they walked toward each other, each with one end of the folded blanket. "Can I say something?" he asked when they met in the middle. The princess looked up at him and shrugged daintily. "What you did for Cain? That was really kind. And it occurred to me, that you are probably the only person in the kingdom that can truly empathize with everyone the Sorceress hurt. You were a victim of each singular act of hatred – just as much as the individuals effected were. I don't know what you'll do with that little nugget, but it just occurred to me while I heard you talking to the commander."

She stood quietly for a moment, absorbing everything he'd said. "You like me?" Az asked.

Tannen blushed a little and handed her his side of the blanket before bending down to pick up the bottom part. He probably shouldn't have been that forward, but it was too late now. "Does that surprise you?"

The princess looked thoughtful for a moment. "I don't know" she whispered, a smile creeping across her face. "I guess I just hadn't put a lot of thought into the fact that, aside from my sister, you are probably the best friend I have in the whole O.Z" She lost her grin, her eyes going somber and she clutched the blanket to her. "And...and I feel safe with you, which is important to me. Very important. Thank you for making me feel safe."

The lieutenant was a little puzzled by the sudden serious mood, but he didn't take Azkadelia's words lightly. "You're welcome Your Highness," he told her, rising with the edge of the blanket in hand, meeting her weighty gaze.

As they stood, each holding a part of the blanket between them, the air charged with electricity. Az felt the fluttering in her stomach again, and her breath started speeding up. She felt a desire to lean closer to the man in front of her, be near his strength and warmth.

"What is that? What's going on?" she whispered, never looking away from his eyes. For the first time, she noticed that they were a dark and friendly brown.

"What do you mean?" he asked her, also hushed.

She didn't get to clarify, for Cain's amused voice floated into their moment. "You two are the slowest blanket folders I've ever seen," he admonished. "Light a fire under it, Evergreen, let's go!"

Tannen and Az jumped apart, then laughed at the commander. "We're not that slow," Tannen defended. "I'd call us careful."

Az giggled. "Sure, yeah, careful," she quipped sarcastically. She folded the blanket one last time and handed it to Tannen before picking her parasol up from the ground. They walked back to the automobile and Tannen gave her his hand to help her into the vehicle.

"Thank you," she whispered as he went back around the auto and put the blanket and parasol in to the trunk.

Cain drove them back to the palace. The car was quiet again on the way home – it was just the tension that had changed.

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A few days later, the night before the O.Z. Reconstruction Ball, DG lay in her bed, absolutely miserable. No matter how she tossed and turned, she couldn't fall asleep with how her thoughts bounced around like a pinball machine. She'd spent the past few days since her shooting lesson avoiding everyone – especially Cain. She burned with rejection and humiliation – but none of that could drown out the ache of want in the pit of her stomach.

She ran the whole episode over and over in her mind. The feel of his breath on her neck and his hands on her hips and shoulders – it was enough to drive her mad. She lay awake, thinking of a million different ways to bring him to his knees – admit that he loved her, that he wanted her with him. Several times, she sat up in bed, swung her feet to the floor and even unbuttoned her pajama top to an indecent level, ready to intrude on Cain's personal space, but each time, her common sense won out and she scurried back under her covers. With each retreat, new doubts entered the mix, making her pull her blankets tighter around her.

The dull ache in her belly didn't change the fact that she truly loved Wyatt Cain and that she wanted nothing but the best for him. If he still mourned his wife, or had hang ups about the whole royalty thing or if he viewed their age difference as an insurmountable obstacle, then she wouldn't – she couldn't – ask for just one night with him. He would inevitably cave to her demands – he always did – and she didn't want him regretting her. And, DG wasn't so far gone into a haze of lust that she couldn't put his emotional needs (such as she saw them) ahead of her own hormones.

Filling her head with such level thoughts made DG calm down considerably, and she tried again to fall asleep. But her calm mind didn't stay calm for long and soon all her noble thoughts and intentions started to get crowded out by thoughts of Cain's lips against hers and his rough hands on her skin.

With a frustrated wail, DG flew out of bed. She grabbed a robe off of a chair near her bed and exited her room – headed for the gardens. It took a simple spell to slip past the new rotation of guards outside the sitting room and she laughed mirthlessly at them. If it had been Cain still responsible for her protection at night, she wouldn't have tried it – but as it was, he wasn't, and she didn't mind giving these fellas the slip.

_Besides, a little fresh air will keep me sane,_ DG thought. _And put some distance between me and Cain's room!_

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Cain felt himself drifting toward a deep, peaceful sleep – thanks in part to the bottle of whiskey he'd downed once the princesses had retired for the evening. And also thanks in part to the fact that the night watch took over active guard duty after dinner. When Jeb had said he needed some more time to think about if he wanted to join his father – even temporarily – in the Royal Guard, Cain had been confused, but hadn't begrudged his son the time to think. So he'd met with Her Majesty, and decided that if he posted a few men on night watch outside the princesses' sitting room, he could use the evenings to do paperwork and hold last minute meetings regarding issues that couldn't wait until his traditional early morning office hours.

It had been a few days since DG had walked away from him in the meadow – and not a word had passed between them since. She'd stayed in her room feigning the need to study and having breakfast with her parents or skipping it all together. He'd seen Azkadelia try to draw her sister out, only to be put off or ignored. Everyone was worried – except the queen, who was spending a lot more time with her youngest daughter, which pleased her immensely.

Just as sleep started to cover him with her heavy blanket, Cain felt something change. It wasn't a sound or light – there was just _something different_ and then it was gone. Despite the alcohol – Cain came instantly awake and alert. He slid out of bed, grabbed his gun and stalked silently towards DG's room.

A sliver of moonlight showed that she wasn't in her room. Cain didn't panic right away – there was no sign of struggle and he was positive that the princess would have put up quite a fight if someone tried to take her. A quick study took in the details of the room – her slippers were still on the floor, but her robe was gone and her covers definitely looked like she'd thrashed around in them. With a grumble Cain went to the sitting room. When she wasn't there either, he busted into the hallway, startling the two guards outside.

"Have you two seen the princess?" he barked. The men – rightfully – cowered before their boss.

"No sir," the one called Layton answered. "We've been right here all night. No one's come past."

Cain's brow furrowed menacingly and he thought about the sensation that jarred him from his sleep. He ordered the two guards to stay put and he took off down the hallway, going on a hunch as to where he could find the princess.

"No one's come past..." he mumbled. "I bet her magical little ass no one's come past..."

He went first to the library, then the solarium, then the kitchens. No DG. After he didn't find her in her favorite small breakfast parlor or the music room, he began to berate himself, having been so positive that he would know where she went in the dead of the night.

On a whim, he headed toward the gardens. When he passed through the door, he caught a whiff of something familiar. It was clean and fresh, with a hint of apple blossoms. DG had come through here. Cain was simultaneously relieved and angered as he headed out into the night, looking for the slip of a woman that had him all tangled in knots.

When he finally found her, she was curled up on a stone bench in the middle of a ring of fragrant fruit trees, her bare legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. She watched the starry sky as if it would reveal something to her, and she was crying. Knowing he probably contributed to those tears made Cain feel a little nauseous.

"DG," he called to her, standing under a cherry tree. The princess jumped and quickly wiped off her face.

"How did you know I wasn't in my room? Were you spying on me?" she asked.

Cain started walking toward her. "How did you get past your guards?"

DG tried to think of another question to ask to put off answering him, but her mind was blank. "I cast a spell," she admitted with a sigh.

"Then, that's how I knew you were gone," Cain said. DG squinted her eyes at him and he chuckled. "No seriously, I was just about to go to sleep and I felt something change in the air. I went to check on you and you were gone. I figured you had magicked out of your room. Apparently I'm a right good detective."

An awkward silence fell between them. It stretched on and on and DG began to fidget. She honestly had no idea what to say. The very person she came outside to avoid being near now hovered a few feet away – silent and still and shirtless. The overall effect served to heat her blood to a low boil and she hated herself for not being able to quiet herself the way he could.

"You want to talk about it?" Cain asked. No explanation necessary for what 'it' was.

"No, no, I'd rather not," DG replied firmly. Unless she wanted to make a bigger fool out of herself, she would need to put some distance between them. Her shooting lesson proved she couldn't trust herself to not jump him if she got the chance. "And I know you really don't either, so, yeah, you can go back inside now."

"Come on DG," Cain protested. He came over and sat on the opposite end of the stone bench. "So we're just going to never speak to each other again?" He grabbed one of her feet casually, his callused thumb brushing around her ankle. Inwardly, DG moaned and let herself enjoy his touch, until his hand wandered up toward her knee. She stood up and backed away a few feet.

"Okay okay okay, I give up," she hissed. "I shouldn't have given the guys the slip and I'll come back inside now."

Cain felt confused. "All right, what's going on?" he asked, standing to face her.

"I already told you – er, _showed_ you what was going on," DG pointed out, just a little bitterly.

"Oh for pity's sake," Cain spat. "That's not what the problem is. Stop being ridiculous and tell me what's _really_ going on. Is this some way you're lashing out at your mother for the whole coming out business?"

"No, Wyatt Cain, I'm not lashing out – not at my mother, not at anyone. I'm in love with you and you just don't seem to want to hear that."

"You don't really love me," Cain loudly assured her, as if talking to a child. "This is just a phase. This courting thing will be good for you. You can meet some young men your own age and do whatever it is you kids do."

"Oh stop acting like – " DG cut off her thought with a gasp. "Good Lord in heaven, I get it!" she cried. "You think I'm just a horny twenty-something looking to get laid – and I've picked you to rub on because you're the closest man to me! Is that what you think?"

Cain grimaced. "Well, I wouldn't put it like that, Your Highness, but..."

The ache in her stomach eased and the tension left her and she thought she would melt in the fire of her emotion for this man. Her mind cleared and she knew everything would be okay, and that she could make him understand. Calmly, carefully, she approached the tin man. "If there's one thing for which I've always been able to count on you, it's that you are unfailingly honest with me."

"I promise I always will be DG," he said, uncertain where this was heading, and a little nervous that in the blink of her eyes she went from perturbed to placid.

"Thank you," DG said. "I'm going to tell you a little story. And I need you to will you help me all the facts perfectly accurate and honest?"

Cain nodded slowly and sank back down onto the bench, leaning his elbows on his knees. DG cleared her throat daintily and began to speak, still standing before him.

"Once upon a time, a girl slipped over from the Other Side and found a zipper-head and a Tin Man and a Viewer and together they saved the entire O.Z. and the girl's sister from a wicked witch. So far so good?"

Cain grunted and felt his lips twitch into a small smile. "It's a little sparse on details, but yeah, accurate."

"Wonderful," DG said. She took another step toward him before continuing. "And after they'd saved the day, the girl looked at her three friends and knew she was very, very blessed."

"I can't actually tell you if that's – "

"Don't interrupt, Cain," DG cut him off. "This is the important part. After they saved the day, the girl looked at her three friends and knew she would love them for forever. But there was one friend of the three – the one she loved best of all. He was the one that stayed beside her while the O.Z. put itself back together. And when she flubbed and flailed her way through all her royal responsibilities, the man she loved the very best stuck by her – never let her down."

DG paused, but Cain didn't interrupt. The look on his face was intense, however she couldn't give it a name, so she continued. "And her feelings for the friend she loved the very best grew and grew. She wanted him – more than anything. And finally, after what felt like an eternity, she acted on her feelings. It didn't go how she wanted but she loved him enough to understand if he didn't want her. She loved him enough to want him to have what he needed to make him happy and whole." DG stopped and took a deep breath. With a small, sad smile she held up a hand. "Well, anything in there that needs correcting?"

"I didn't say I didn't want you," Wyatt said, watching her eyes steadily.

"You didn't?" she sounded so hopeful.

"But that's not the point, darlin'!" Cain groaned and looked down at his hands. "DG, I'm almost twice your age," he pointed out.

DG went and stood quietly in front of him. He felt her hand rest against his head, her fingers scratching through his hair. "Not even," she whispered. "And besides, I don't care."

He leaned back against the bench, the cool stone a stark contrast to his heated skin. "Why would want someone like me, DG? I've got more baggage than that Quadling Emmisary. I'm broken."

This made the princess mad. She stepped in between his legs and crossed her arms over her chest. "Don't say that, Wyatt!"

"It's true, darlin'," he argued, but he was rabidly distracted by her bare legs so close to his hands. His fingers twitched unbidden toward the smooth, white skin.

She rolled her eyes. "No it's not. You are not broken."

"And you can't know that. You have no idea what's going on inside me," Cain pointed out.

"I would if you'd let me in," DG cried falling to her knees, bring her face closer to his. "I want to help you."

"Let you in?" Cain asked, a smile tugging at his lips as he smoothed a lock of hair from her forehead. "Or do you mean just stand still while you ax the door down?"

DG's brow furrowed, and she leaned into his touch. "It's not funny, Cain," she whispered. She reached her own hand up and brushed her fingers across his brow and down his cheek. "You've spent every second since we've known each other watching over me – you helped me do the impossible, and now I'd like to take care of you for a while."

"And for how long will that be?"

"I already told you Wyatt," she whispered, reaching out to his chest and ghosting her fingers over the hair there. "You are the man I love the very best. That won't change."

Her touch left a trail of fire on his skin and for the moment, Cain couldn't remember all the reasons he'd stockpiled as to why this thing between DG and him was a bad idea. Very carefully, he leaned forward and reverently kissed her. She sighed into his mouth, wrapped her arms around his neck and crushed herself against him, deepening the kiss. Cain let his hands travel down her back, keeping her slender form tight against him.

They broke apart, gasping for breath, and Wyatt held her tenderly. After a few moments of silence, while he rested his chin in the crook of DG's shoulder, he decided to risk his stoic reputation and lay it all on the line with her.

"DG I can't promise you very much. I have a lot of unresolved anger, a lot of bitterness. Truthfully, I've been so busy since you let me out of that suit that I rarely have time to think about it, let alone deal with it. Putting Zero in that suit helped – but I don't know if that was enough. And I'll not lie to you and tell you that I'm whole on the inside. I won't insult your intelligence like that. And even though I'm surrounded by a new life, new purpose, new friends and my son, I still have some things to work through."

"Like Adora's death?" DG asked hesitantly. He noticed her chin quiver ever-so-slightly.

"Yes, like Adora's death," Cain confirmed. "I mourned her for so many years, and it threw me for a loop to find that she hadn't been dead for all that time. I need to put all that to rest."

DG sat back on her heels and wrung her hands. "I understand that, completely. And I'd never ask you to love me like you loved her. I understand that you can't do that; she was your first love after all. And I don't expect you to."

Cain smiled and shook his head at her quick concession of sacrifice. "You're right, she was my first love. And I can't love you like I loved her – because you aren't her, sweetheart. Ozma's sake, darlin', _I'm_ not the same person I was before. Adora and I were happy together, and the past can't be changed, and neither you nor I would even want that. But life happened, and I'm here now, with you, and I can honestly tell you that I loved you from the minute you busted me out of that suit, and if you'll let me, I'll love you until they put me in the ground."

DG closed the distance between them and hugged the tin man. Snuggling her face into his neck, she sighed. "I will take you up on that offer."

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Several hours later, Tannen lay in bed, unable to sleep and too busy beating himself up over the whole scene at the meadow today. His thoughts were in a tumble, his emotions were in a jumble and the only thing he knew for certain was that Princess Azkadelia was _so confusing._

She welcomed his presence after a nightmare, then she cringed away from him. She avoids him, then they have that...whatever that was on the blanket by the meadow. She calls him friend, but won't share what's tearing her up inside. He knew it was something to do with Zero – and Tannen knew the man was evil, but he couldn't get why she would be afraid of the general when the general's more evil boss shared Az's body. He couldn't think of anything more horrifying to the princess than what the Sorceress did to the O.Z. all those years, but he racked his brains as to what it could be.

A soft knock sounded at the door – the one connecting his room to Azkadelia's. He pulled on a shirt and answered it.

The princess was on the other side, she was crying.

"I'll get dressed," he whispered.

"Thanks," she replied.

They ambled through the garden, silent but for an occasional sniffle from Azkadelia. Tannen's experience with these midnight walks taught him that she would talk if she wanted to – if she was ready. Sometimes he couldn't help himself though, and tonight he wanted to bring her relief.

"Was it a bad one?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"Your nightmare? Was it a bad one?"

Az looked confused for a moment. "I didn't have a nightmare," she said, then understood his confusion. "Oh, no, I'm afraid my mind is running in circles tonight. I was just sure that a turn around the garden would calm me down. I'm sorry if you were sleeping, but I figured you would be angry if I went out by myself. I suppose I could try warm milk to help me sleep – but I despise it; and the counting sheep are no match for my thoughts."

"I was still awake," Tannen assured her. "So, your thoughts made you cry? Those don't sound like good ones to me..."

"They weren't bad," Azkadelia confessed. "Just a bit...oh, I don't know. I'm worried about DG. She's been so withdrawn lately."

"Your sister? Yeah, that's...phew, I don't know what that is," Tannen admitted, with a little too much vigor.

Az didn't miss his strange tone. "What's that?" she asked. "What's going on? What do you know?" 

Tannen chose to feign ignorance. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"Stop that!" Az cried, startling her body guard. He'd hardly ever heard her raise her voice. "First you act weird at the meadow and now this. What do you know? Tell me, tell me, tell me."

Tannen almost caved to her demands, but a sound caught his ear and he went on instant alert. He shushed Azkadelia and pulled her against a nearby tree.

"What is it?" Az barely breathed the question.

"I'm not sure," the lieutenant replied. "But I think it's coming from inside that ring of trees." Tannen started to creep through the moonlit garden to see who was there, the princess clinging to him, making his stealthy progression practically impossible. They did manage to make it silently over to one of the trees, and they ducked under the low branches. Tannen felt the cry start deep inside the princess and he put a hand over her mouth before it escaped.

In the middle of the grove of trees they saw Cain and DG wrapped in a tender embrace. They crouched like that, staring shamelessly for quite a while before Tannen came to his senses. He turned to the princess, his hand still over her mouth.

"Sorry," he mouthed as he removed his hand. Az didn't say anything, just gave one last glance toward the bench and its occupants, then crept out from under the tree. Tannen followed her and silently they made their way back toward the palace.

"Is that what made you embarrassed the other day?" Az asked, when they'd gotten a ways from the grove.

Tannen nodded and told her about seeing the kiss across the meadow and then about the conversation he'd had with Jeb at the security meeting.

"Oh, poor Jeb." Az felt for the young man. "I hope he can work through this, DG wouldn't be able to handle coming between Cain and his son."

"Does she love him?" Tannen asked.

Azkadelia blushed a little and told him about Cain's good timing during their mother's conversation about getting married, and the brilliant shade of red DG had turned. Tannen laughed at the story.

"It's like I told Jeb – I must be the most obtuse person in the world," Tannen complained. "Once Jeb said something, I saw it, but before that – all that evidence that they were in love and it flew right over my head."

Az laughed softly and with out much feeling. "I know how you feel. They've always been so intense and...connected, so I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised, but – "

She sounded so unsure when she cut off, it triggered something in Tannen's mind. "Do you not approve?" he asked her.

The princess stopped walking, surprise on her face. Tannen stopped next to her..

"Gracious heavens of course I approve," she rushed to explain. "I suppose I just...honestly I'm a little jealous."

Tannen felt a cold fist punch his gut. He was loathe to ask the question, but he had to know the answer. "Do you love the commander?"

Azkadelia blushed so hard Tannen thought he could feel the heat of her blood from where he stood. "No," she hastily said. "At least, not like DG does. I love him for taking very good care of my sister when she first arrived back in the O.Z., and for keeping her away from the witch. I suppose he feels like brother to me...I think. Though I don't have a brother so I can't exactly be sure."

The emotion that flooded through him could only be described as relief, and Tannen viciously ignored it. "So why are you jealous?" he asked.

A small, sad smile crossed the princess' face. "I suppose I would like to have what she has: a wonderful man to love and be loved by in return. And I just...well, I don't think I can ever have that."

The sorrow in her voice made Tannen's legs forget to walk. He stood, watching her walk away. Something in him wanted to call out to her – reassure her. But everything else in him was still a jumble and the words were trapped in it.

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**Reviews are appreciated. Thanks for sticking with this long chapter! :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Note: FINALLY! Okay, so if you haven't seen, I re-did chapters 10 thru 12, so if you haven't, go back and read those. Explanations are in those chaps. And this one took quite a bit of work to make it mesh with the changes I made, and I'm still not 100% happy with it, but since I am happy with the rest of the story, I'll leave this as is. All mistakes are mine and none of the character are. **

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Az stood in an alcove at the top of the stairs leading in to the ballroom, waiting to be introduced to society. DG paced the small space, nerves rolling off her in waves. Azkadelia's own panic thrashed around inside her, but she focused instead on Tia's message: sow love, reap love; sow kindness, reap kindness; sow forgiveness, reap forgiveness. If she thought of nothing else but her goal for this evening, she could just about crowd out her other fears and inhibitions.

DG didn't seem as lucky in distracting herself.

"How horrible would it be if I tripped?" DG worried as she whipped around to walk back to the other side of the alcove. "Just thinking about it makes me sweat."

Az chucked silently, her face never losing it's neutral expression. "Don't think about it then," she admonished.

"I can't help it," DG whined.

Peeking out through some curtains into the ballroom, Az tried to distract her sister. "Oh, doesn't Father look dashing?" The older sister sighed, her eyes fondly gazing at Ahamo, waiting to receive them at the bottom of the steps. "What a uniform, he looks so handsome."

DG came over to look through the curtains. She smiled calmly for a moment then gasped. "Forget that, look at Wyatt! Good gods, who knew he would clean up that well?"

"Deeg, your eyes are bugging out of your head," Az warned her sister jokingly. "Keep it together..."

"Yeah right, now I'm even more freaked out. Before it was just the stairs, but now it's what's at the bottom!" The younger princess groaned.

"Oh honestly," Az said, not sure whether to reveal to her sister what she'd seen last night. DG hadn't said anything to her all day about it, and she didn't want to press her sister until she was ready to share. "It's a very fine sight at the bottom of the stairs."

"I feel like I now have a clue as to how it will feel to walk down the aisle."

"Walk down the aisle?"

"Get married," DG clarified. "On the Other Side you walk from the back of the church down the center aisle with everybody staring at you and your groom waiting at the end with a preacher or something. It's old-fashioned and ritualistic and – oh, I might puke. This whole courting this is so ridiculous and so sexist and – "

Az rolled her eyes. Her sister was rambling and possibly starting to hyper-ventilate. "DG, look at Cain," she ordered. "Would you really hate to walk down the aisle if he was at the end of it?"

DG focused on Cain for a moment. He stood, ramrod straight, at attention on one side of the stairs, opposite Az's second guard, Layton. He was her kind of handsome, her kind of knight in shining armor – though he would protest that.

"You're right." DG calmed down quickly. "I would walk down anything he was at the end of."

Az laughed, if a little sadly. Just then, Tannen ducked his head into the alcove. "Your mother is almost ready to begin," he announced.

DG looked up from her Cain-gazing. "Thank y – why Lieutenant Evergreen," she pulled up short. "You look hot in that uniform!"

Tannen rolled his eyes and smiled a little sheepishly. "Thanks DG," he said. "You look...umm...hot too?"

"Wow," the younger princess quipped sarcastically. "Way to hesitate and add to my paranoia about tonight."

Az chuckled at her sister. "You look hot and you know it," she assured her sister, going to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"And you look lovely yourself, Az," Tannen told her.

"What? Not 'hot'?" Azkadelia teased.

The lieutenant laughed. "I'm actually not entirely sure what that is, so I'll stick with a compliment I know the meaning of.."

Az blushed beneath his warm glance and felt her stomach flutter in over-drive.

DG noticed her sister's pink cheeks and opened her mouth to tease her when she shut it again. She looked at her sister, then the lieutenant, her eyes wide.

"Everything all right DG?" Az asked. DG realized she'd been staring.

"Yep, everything's great."

"Well, then, I'm sure it's just about time to start," Tannen said. He reminded them of the security measures in place and where he and Cain and their other two guards would be standing at all times throughout the night. The queen began to speak, and Tannen stood to the side and let Az and DG stand in the doorway. When she announced the traditional coming out ceremony, they walked out onto the landing. DG reached over and grabbed Az's hand, gripping it tightly. Queen Lavender Eyes spoke for a few minutes more before she introduced Azkadelia and DG, marking their debut to society. The women started to descend the stairs. Though each had thoughts flurrying distractedly through her mind, the walk down the staircase went off without a hitch and when they reached the bottom, DG released Az's hand with a grateful squeeze.

"See," the younger princess whispered out of the corner of her mouth. "I told you it would be fine." Az just widened her smile and shook her head slightly.

Ahamo greeted them with both with a kiss on the cheek before escorting them to the dais where their mother stood. Once the Royal family assembled, the Consort announced the traditional courting ritual where interested parties – or their representatives – could declare their intentions to bring suit for the princesses. The thought of this made Azkadelia sick to her stomach. To see these men – in front of everyone – would be mortifying. She couldn't decide if it would actually be worse if _no one_ sought to court her.

But Azkadelia didn't have anything to fear, or she did, depending on which side of mortifying she currently held with. The first person to step out from the crowd and respectfully approach the dais was the Quadling Emissary. He was a short, stocky man with bland features and a thick head of wiry hair. He cleared his throat then bowed deeply to the Royal family.

"Your Majesty," he began, his gravelly voice fitting his physical appearance perfectly. "On behalf of the Governor of Quadling, I am honored to renew our allegiance to the House of Gale once again."

"Thank you friend," the queen intoned. The Emissary nodded in acknowledgment. But he wasn't done.

"I would also like, at this time, to request the privilege to court your daughter – Princess Azkadelia," he said. "If that would please Her Highness and Your Majesty, it would be my great honor."

"We are honored by your request and accept it. Thank you, good sir," Lavender Eyes said, following protocol to the letter.

Azkadelia remembered to drop a small curtsey to the man, and somehow managed to keep a smile on her face – though she could tell it was pained at the very best. The Emissary's retreat back into the crowd seemed to take forever, and when he caught her eye, something about him made her shiver.

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After their long descent down the stairs, and while the Prince Consort escorted his daughters to the throne dais, Tannen took the chance while everyone's backs were turned to come down stairs also and join up with his boss. They looked over the crowd and checked all the security points. Everything looked secure so they moved to their own strategic locations just behind the dais.

When the Consort announced that the princesses would welcome the intentions of those who would court them, Cain leaned over to Tannen.

"Here we go," the commander grumbled.

The whole invitation ceremony seemed to last an eternity with notable families hauling their marriageable sons out of the woodwork. Some looked eager, some looked bored and some look mortified – none more so that Commander Wyatt Cain...at least Tannen thought so. Though he couldn't be sure after totally misreading the situation before. When the ceremony finally ended, the orchestra began to play and the crowd milled toward the dance floor. Tannen noticed Cain looked very tense.

"Everything all right Commander?" he asked.

Cain pointed into the crowd. "Do you see the woman in the black dress with the silver hair – she's standing just this side of the third pillar on the right?"

Tannen scanned the crowd until he saw who Cain was looking at. "Do you recognize her?" he asked.

"No, but she seems unusually tense," the ex-tin man replied. "Just keep an eye on her. The Royal Family is about to start their reception line and I would like to monitor very closely who gets near them – especially Azkadelia."

With a terse nod, Tannen walked over to the guards closest to the dais and got them up to speed on who to watch out for. The queen came to stand at the bottom of the short steps and the Consort and his daughters stood to her left. People started to line up to greet the Royal family.

Tannen looked over at the princesses, and saw they both seemed nervous, although Azkadelia looked a little sick as well. Tannen walked to take up his station behind the Royal Family, next to Commander Cain, and when he passed Azkadelia, he smiled reassuringly. The corner of her pink lips twitched – it was the best she could offer for a smile.

The first of the O.Z. subjects greeted Queen Lavender Eyes and the Prince Consort. They bowed to Azkadelia, a little coldly perhaps, then to DG and moved on. After a few dozen citizens passed through the line without trial or trouble, Cain and Tannen breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief.

Cain saw the woman he'd scoped out earlier now standing in the reception line. "Person of interest, two o'clock," he whispered. Tannen looked up and saw the woman.

"Do you want me to go talk to her?"

"No," Cain decided. "Let's just keep a wary eye out."

Tannen nodded and watched as people drifted past the Royal family. Most everyone talked to the Queen and Consort and just bowed or curtsied then gawked at the girls, but what did he care? The less interaction that happened meant the less likely there was to be problems. 

Both Cain and Tannen were watching the crowd so carefully that neither of them noticed Azkadelia's growing agitation.

"What's wrong?" DG asked her sister in between greeting people. She reached out a hand to her.

"Nothing," Az lied. Panic gripped her in a fierce hold – the most it had all evening. Thus far, everyone drifting past her had only prompted fuzzy memories or vague remembrances. She didn't even have to touch anyone – yet, though the dancing wouldn't really get going until later.

But now, coming down the reception line was a face that conjured up a lucid and sharp memory. Her breathing got choppy and she felt a little dizzy. She could almost feel the woman's fear and animosity traveling down the line in front of her and it made tears spring to her eyes – despite her best efforts to remain calm.

DG jerked Azkadelia away from the edge of the dais and back behind the thrones to some columns that partially hid them from sight.

"What are you doing?" Az demanded.

"You were swaying like a drunk – you're obviously done in for the evening. Az," DG reprimanded. "No one is asking you to be the hero here. If you don't feel up to this you don't have to continue. You've done your part so far and you've done beautifully. No one will fault you if you retire now." She beckoned for Tannen to come over, which he did – concern all over his face.

"Just stay with her a second, I'll go talk to my mother and then find Lady Tia," DG instructed, pushing Azkadelia into Tannen's arms. Az tried to stop her sister, but DG bustled off, ignoring the stewards hovering near, anxious to help.

Tannen looked down at Azkadelia. "Do you want me to get you out of here?" he asked the princess.

"No," Az answered firmly wiping the tears from her face. "I want to talk to that woman," she said, pointing toward the same woman in black that Cain had everyone monitoring.

"Az, I don't think – "

"Just stop! I'm not a child, and I won't be sent to bed!" Azkadelia cut him off, her hands on his chest, trying to push herself upright. "Tannen, I remember her. I remember what the Sorceress did to her and her family and it was horrible."

"You don't have to see her if it will hurt you," the lieutenant said, finally releasing her.

"If it will hurt _me_?" Azkadelia was confused. "I'm already hurt, Tannen," she reminded him. "And so is she." Looking over the lieutenant's shoulder, Az saw the woman in black bowing to her parents and being escorted away by a younger woman. Ignoring decorum and etiquette and all the people staring at her like she was unbalanced, the princess twisted away from her body guard and flew around the thrones toward the woman. "Wait, please wait," she called out.

Both women stopped and winced when they saw who had called out to them.

"I would like to speak with you, if you will," Az said when she came to a halt in front of them. She brushed off their stiff, cold curtsies, but Tannen could tell their distrust hurt her.

"Actually, if you will forgive us, Your Highness, but my mother is tired and...and not feeling well and would like to be excused, if you please?" The younger woman wouldn't even look Azkadelia in the eye, while her mother fixed her eyes on the princess with intensity. She tried to steer her away, but the older woman would have none of it.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked, her voice clear and razor sharp.

"I do," Az answered, her breath hitching. "You are the Duchess of Stane."

"That's correct, Your Highness," the woman said. "And they tell me that you are the Princess Azkadelia – Heir Apparent to the throne of the O.Z.; locked away by the witch, a prisoner in your own body all those years. But now you're back in your own control – saved by the Light of the House of Gale." Az nodded, struck dumb by the woman's disbelieving tone. "How can I know if that's true?" the duchess asked. "That you're just not pulling the wool over everyone's eyes." The daughter tried to shush her mother, and Tannen thought about reminding the woman that she was speaking to a princess of the realm, but Azkadelia overruled them both.

"You can't I suppose," the princess said, interrupting the duchess' daughter. "I came to talk to you because...because I remember you. I remember what happened to your family." The woman paled frighteningly. "Your husband was murdered by the Longcoats and when you spoke out against the Sorceress, she came and took the souls of your two youngest children – your sons."

"That is true, Your Highness," the duchess said through clenched teeth.

Az's eyes filled with tears and she struggled to speak around the lump in her throat. "And I remember that as your boys lay lifeless on the ground, you didn't shed a tear. The devastation was written clear as day on your face, but, even after the Sorceress turned around and walked away you didn't even let her _hear you cry._ You were so strong."

"Look what it got me?" The woman openly cried. "What did my strength do for me that day?"

"It gave me hope," Azkadelia whispered and the duchess' weeping faltered a bit. "When I saw the little ones fall I couldn't distract myself from that. I just cried and ranted against the Sorceress. She got great satisfaction from my distress and in my weakness I added to her power. Later, when I remembered you standing by your sons – so tall and brave – it gave me resolve to do what I could to not give over to the witch."

The duchess clung to her daughter, weeping into her shoulder. Tentatively, Azkadelia reached out and put a comforting hand on the older woman's arm. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, her voice barely hissing out around the sob stuck in her throat. "So sorry for your loss and your pain."

The duchess grasped Azkadelia's hand, and pulled the princess to her in a tearful embrace.

"It wasn't you, you don't have to apologize," the older woman sobbed to the princess over and over while Azkadelia continued to ask forgiveness. The clung to each other and cried for a few minutes and Tannen couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight. Movement out of the corner of his vision showed him that a crowd of people were gathered around – many of them with tears of their own.

After a few minutes, the duchess pulled away from the princess and curtsied deeply. Azkadelia bent down to her. "Please," she said. "You don't have to do that."

The duchess straightened, bringing Az with her. "Your Highness, I still miss my sons – everyday I think about them. But my heart knows peace tonight, and I pledge my loyalty not just to your mother but to you as well. And I will beg the privilege of a seat at your coronation."

Azkadelia laughed tearfully. "If I get that far, the privilege will be mine to have you there."

"Ozma bless you," the duchess whispered before she allowed her daughter to escort her away.

For an awkward moment, Az stared at the crowd assembled in front of her. They all looked shocked before they, as one, pressed toward her, all clambering to talk to her.

Tannen stepped in front of Azkadelia. "Hold it," he held up his hands to stop the crowd. "Her Highness has had a trying day and will – "

The princess popped around him, her hand on his outstretched arm. "I'll talk to them, Tannen," she whispered. "I'll meet with anyone who wants to speak with me."

The lieutenant turned back to her. "Are you _absolutely_ sure you're not over-doing it?"

Azkadelia looked sternly at him. "I'm planting a meadow, remember?" she asked, obviously frustrated with him. "I don't have time to sow one seed at a time. I either plant it all or let the thistles in."

Tannen peered carefully in her face – the stubborn pride and determination there telling him he'd better just let her do this without a fight.

"All right," he announced after tearing himself away from the princess. "Please assemble in an orderly fashion if you'd like to speak with Her Highness."

"Thank you Tannen," Az whispered before he took up his position as her body guard again.

Across the room, DG, Lavender Eyes and Ahamo watched Azkadelia talking with anyone who wanted an audience with her while they continued to greet the subjects of the O.Z. They saw her cry with many other people – some of them hugging her with the same emotional desperation as the duchess. Some people hadn't had personal dealings with the witch and just came by to wish Azkadelia well.

It was difficult for DG to watch her sister going through such an emotional, trying time, and she continually sent encouraging thoughts and vibes Az's way. After a while, their own reception line dwindled out and they just stood and watched their daughter and sister. DG sidled up to her mother and put an arm around her waist.

"And that, Mother dear," she said, nodding toward Azkadelia, "is _exactly_ why she _will be_ the queen."

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A few hours later, DG decided that balls were not on her list of 'fun things to do in the O.Z.'. She couldn't feel her feet, she'd run out of room in her brain to remember everyone's names and she was sure Wyatt would never speak to her again after she messed up the Gillikan peace dance so badly she'd almost sent him ass over teakettle. Catching a break from dancing and conversation, DG snuck around the outskirts of the ballroom, dashing from pillar to pillar to avoid everybody. She wanted to go check on Az – make sure her sister was doing all right. She'd tried to hover around her, stand by while the older princess spoke with everyone, but she'd been unanimously overruled by the queen and the Consort and Cain from doing so and sent to participate in the other festivities.

Coming around the end of the ballroom, she saw Az standing with Ahamo behind the thrones with Tannen at a respectful distance off, ever the faithful guard. The Consort watched as his eldest daughter delicately drained a cup of water. When she was finished they spoke a few words and Ahamo kissed her on the forehead then took the cup and walked away.

Tannen went to Azkadelia and asked her something, to which she nodded. DG could see that Az was extremely pallid, but Tannen – being mostly unnoticing of the more subtle shades of a woman's skin, and what those shades mean – turned around and started to escort Az back around the thrones. The woman didn't get two steps before she crumpled – narrowly avoiding hitting her head on the stone floor by Tannen's quick reflexes.

DG started toward them, but stopped when she saw the shocked and panicked look on the lieutenant's face turn to something else while he looked at the woman in his arms.

_He's in love with her!_ DG cried to herself. She wondered then if he knew yet that he was. _Probably not,_ she admitted. Lieutenant Commander Tannen Evergreen was a wonderful man, an exceptional soldier, and a good friend – but the man definitely misread the more refined points of life. Like love and attraction and relationships...and love.

When she noticed Tannen rouse himself and start looking around for help, she went to him as fast as her gown would allow.

"DG," the lieutenant cried. "We need to get your sister out of here."

"I know," the princess said. She grabbed Az's hand and patted it gently. "Wake up, Azkadelia, come on and wake up."

Eye lids fluttering, Az came slowly awake, gaze unfocused and blurry. "What happened?" she whispered weakly.

"You fainted," Tannen replied, still holding her close. "Sorry, I missed that you weren't feeling very well – but I did get you before you hit the floor."

Her bottom lip started to quiver and DG took command.

"It's all right, sis, don't cry," she said soothingly. "You just did an awful lot of work tonight and you are tired. Tannen's gonna take you to our suite and I'm going to go get Lady Tia to come back and help you get ready for bed. When I can get away from here, I'll come in and see you, okay?"

Az only nodded, looking confused. She looked from her sister to Tannen, then back and forth again before she seemed to comprehend what was going on. When it dawned on her that she was in Tannen's arms, she scooted away from him.

"I can stand up, now," she told him. "Thank you for catching me."

"You're welcome," he said sincerely. He seemed to understand that she didn't want to be held close, and he respectfully helped her up, watching carefully that she didn't sway on her feet.

"Go on, go back to our rooms. I'll take care of everything down here and see you in a little while," DG instructed.

They both nodded to her and left the ballroom through a side door.

Cain saw them leave and jogged over to them. He said a few things to Tannen, who nodded toward DG then left with Azkadelia. Cain came over to the younger princess, who stood smugly by the thrones.

"We need to go tell your parents what happened so they don't freak out later," he said. "Why didn't you tell them first thing?"

"Because they would have made a huge thing out of Az fainting. And that isn't what's important here," DG informed him. "I handled this situation just as is should have been handled. All the important people are involved and the rest we can involve at a later time."

Cain glared at the princess. "What are you doing? What is this – what are you doing?" Cain asked sternly.

"I'm just...giving them a minute," DG replied evasively.

Wyatt squinted at her. "Why do Tannen and Azkadelia need a minute, sweetheart?"

"Is obtuseness catching?" DG asked, rolling her eyes.

"What?" 

"Never mind," she sighed. "We are giving them a minute to work some things out."

"What things?"

"Things that usually zoom over Tannen's head. Things like attraction and flirting and love."

It took a moment, but DG saw the light bulb go off in Cain's mind before he flashed his trademark smirk. "He can be very imperceptive, can't he?"

DG guffawed. "Just him?"

"I mean, the man can track a Longcoat barefoot running up a stream, but – "

"But we'll give them some time," DG finished for him.

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Tannen very carefully and quietly escorted Azkadelia to her sitting room, where he helped her recline on a sofa. After he'd gotten her a blanket and rang for some tea, he took a seat on a chair next to the sofa where she sat. They continued in silence for a while, but eventually, Tannen couldn't wait anymore. The princess still looked a little dazed, but he had something he had to tell her

"I'm very proud of you Azkadelia," Tannen said softly. He put his elbow on the arm rest of the chair and leaned his head into his hand while he studied her. "You were amazing tonight."

Az met his eyes and felt herself grow warm beneath his intimate gaze. "You make my stomach do weird things," she told him, a little punch-drunk.

Tannen chuckled. "All right, we're changing the subject," Tannen quipped with a chuckle. "Are you saying I make you nauseous? That's not very flattering Highness."

"No, it's not that..." Az trailed off, lost in sleepy thought. "I actually don't know what it is."

Lady Evergreen came into the room just then, effectively ending the conversation.

"Azkadelia, I heard you were faint my dear." The older woman fussed around the princess, feeling her forehead and smoothing her hair.

Azkadelia didn't answer her, she just smiled up at the maternal woman then turned her smile to Tannen.

Tia sat down next to Az, trying to get her to focus.

"Your Highness, how did it go tonight?"

"Very well," Az said quietly. "I planted many beautiful seeds. And it was hard work but worth it – just like you said." She remembered something that offended her. "And you know what? Tannen wasn't going to let me talk to the people after I started crying – "

"That's not how it was," Tannen protested when his mother sent him an affronted look.

"He was being bossy and over-protective," Az continued as if she hadn't been interrupted. Her mind was fuzzy. She knew it wasn't working like it usually did, but she struggled to remember if she would care later. "But it's okay," she assured Lady Tia. "'Cause I ignored him. And, really, I'm grateful for the bossy. He's my best friend," she informed his mother, her eyes looking hazy and her speech starting to slur sleepily.

Lady Tia laughed a little nervously. "All right, I think that's the cue to get you into bed my dear. I'll send a healer up to check you over, but then I think you need to sleep."

Azkadelia allowed herself to be helped to her feet, then clung to Tia's arm all the way to her room when the floor spun a little under her.

Tannen watched the princess disappear behind her bedroom door – and his eyes stayed there long after it shut behind her. He stayed watching the door, feeling a bit unfocused and dazed himself, until Ahamo and DG made an appearance with a healer a few minutes later, DG with a knowing little smile on her face.

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	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Actually I own lots of things – a house, a car, a dog, a business. But I don't own Tin Man, and that's really what we're talking about here. :)**

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After seeing Az safely tucked into bed and giving Ahamo a kiss goodnight, DG retired to her own room. Lady Tia came and quietly helped her out of her ball gown then bid the princess a goodnight as well.

Sitting on her bed in just a chemise and a pair of Other Side underwear (she couldn't quite get used to _bloomers_) DG reflected on the evening. The whole 'coming out' thing hadn't been as painful as she would have imagined, though it was a little embarrassing to have to stand and smile while all those men came to ask to date her in front of the entire O.Z. She hadn't had to dance with anyone too revolting and she got to spend some quality time with Glitch and Raw – the latter deciding to stay on the outskirts of the festivities due to travel fatigue and all the heightened emotion. The only thing she would have wished was for Cain to have announced his intent to court her – though she knew that he hadn't had a chance to talk to her about it, or his son, and Wyatt Cain wasn't the type to cause a scene that would stress anyone else out. Besides, she wasn't entirely sure he knew she didn't intend to court anybody else.

But Jeb had been at the ball, and acting weird around her, so she wondered if Cain _had _talked to his son about her and he didn't approve. When he hadn't signed on as her guard as she had wanted him too, she'd asked Cain what had happened. He said his son just needed some space – some time. But last night, Jeb seemed upset with her and with his father, but for the life of her she couldn't get him to talk to her more than a few social niceties and small talk and Cain hadn't had time to talk to her beyond the necessary conversations. The whole thing gave her a small case of indigestion. She figured, now that the ball was over, that she would have some more time to devote to getting answers to all these questions.

She hadn't seen Cain since right after Azkadelia fainted, and she didn't anticipate seeing him anytime soon, considering he was responsible for the safety of all the distinguished guests who would stay in the palace tonight. But she missed him, immensely, so she slid off her bed and popped her head through the panel door into Cain's room. The room was sparsely furnished, but richly so, and it was surprisingly cluttered. Several racks hung on the walls that held several guns of various make and model. Beneath them a table held bottles and rags and cases of ammunition. Another table in the middle of the room held stacks of maps and palace layouts and a cup with a handful of pencils.

Stacks of books of varying height lay everywhere – on his nightstand, on one of the chairs at the table, and on top of his armoire. DG skimmed the spines of some of the books; they told their own story about her tin man. There were science and history books, physics and war strategy, philosophy and a couple of novels. DG surveyed the room. She decided it wasn't cluttered, just full – the room of a disciplined man who had a whole life to cram into the small space. Walking to the armoire, she opened it and stuck her face right in all of his clothes. They smelled like soap and sunshine and air and a hint of gun powder.

Taking one of Cain's dress shirts, she went to a plush club chair sitting in the corner of the room and snuggled down with it, breathing in the scent as she dozed off.

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A few hours later, Commander Cain dragged his feet back to his room. Between his normal crew and the new guys from the army, he'd managed to staff two guard shifts – making sure everyone was looked after and that his men got a chance to sleep at some point as well.

The moment his door opened, he came alert. Someone was in his room. Silently, he slid inside, his hand on his gun. When he saw DG curled up in the chair in the corner, he let out a relieved whoosh of air.

Closing the door and locking it, he leaned against the wall and stared at the princess smiling in her sleep across the room. He noticed one of his shirts draped over her and let his heart pound – annoyingly – at the sight. While he quietly took off his dress uniform, he told himself he needed to get some sleep and he didn't think he could to that with the princess so close. But, by the time he'd stripped down to skivvies and put on a soft, loose fitting pair of pants, he decided they could get some rest...they were adults and could share a bed simply for sleep.

"Hey sweetheart," he said softly, squatting down in front of the chair and stroking a finger down her cheek.

DG stirred. "Hi," she greeted him sleepily. "You finally got everything squared away? Do you get to stay put for a few hours?"

"Yeah," Cain assured her. "Everybody who needs a guard has a guard. Tannen's taking the first shift for me and I'll relieve him in a few hours."

"Oh, good."

The commander stood up and held out his hand for DG, who took it and allowed him to help her to her feet.

"I gotta get some sleep, this is probably all the time I'll get in the next 36 hours, but, um, do you stay with me tonight?" Cain asked, a little hesitantly, running a hand over her hair. DG nodded, flitted around him and crawled into his bed, scooting down contentedly under the covers.

Cain laughed quietly at her and stooped to pick up the shirt she'd discarded. "You've wrinkled my shirt horribly," he admonished.

"Do you really think you're getting it back?" DG asked. "Except to wear for awhile after it doesn't smell like you anymore, of course."

"Of course," Cain said. Throwing the shirt around a bed post, he got into bed and pulled DG into his arms. The princess immediately cuddled up to him, putting a hand on his bare chest and tracing patterns along his collar bone. They just lay quietly for a little while, feeling each others heartbeats and listening to each others breathing. Cain felt DG relaxing into him. "Hey, before you fall asleep, I wanted to tell you that I thought you looked beautiful tonight."

"Thanks," DG accepted his compliment with sigh. "You looked pretty smashing too," she said. "Made me insanely nervous to walk down the stairs with you standing so...so...ruggedly handsome at the bottom."

Cain smirked at her, leaned slowly toward her and gave her a solid, but simple kiss. "I love you," he reminded her. He loosened his hold on the princess and settled back against his pillow before he decided he didn't really need any sleep.

DG already decided he didn't, unfortunately. "Mmmhmm, me too," she muttered, her eyes half-closed. She stretched up and kissed him deeply, pressing herself against him. Cain let her convince him to keep kissing her for a while until her small, soft hands started to wander too far south.

He leaned back from her. "Hold it right there, kid," Cain said, grabbing the princess' wrists in his hands.

"What?" she whined, wrapping a leg around his hip and putting on her best pout. The tin man put both her hands in one and used his other to move her leg to more appropriate places.

"If you wanna stay here you gotta let me get some sleep – I gotta be back on duty in three hours."

DG grimaced and tugged her hands out of his, folding them primly between their two bodies. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she said, smiling sheepishly. "I promise I'll behave. Your sleeping body will be safe with me."

"I will believe that when I see it," Cain snorted.

"Whaaa?" DG acted offended and pushed away from the commander. "Just wait – you'll wake up and find I've been on my best behavior."

Reaching across the space between them, Wyatt grabbed her arm, rolled her over and tucked DG up against him. "I don't want you on your best behavior," he whispered in her ear, leaving a string of kisses down her ear and neck. "I want you just how you are."

DG sighed and curled up next to him, arching her neck to give Cain a little more access. "That was exactly the right thing to say," she told him with a giggle.

Cain pressed one last kiss to her temple then settled back against his pillow. "Well, I try," he said with a yawn. "Go to sleep, Deeg."

"Go to sleep, Tin Man."

She didn't have to tell him twice.

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Once DG assured him that Azkadelia was fine, Tannen went back to the ball – now winding down rapidly. When the lieutenant found his boss, Commander Cain had the Royal Guard lined up outside the ballroom, giving orders and schedules for the rest of the night and through the next day.

"So you'll take four hour shifts to get us through until after tomorrow morning's activities – that means you'll have to get your sleep where you can because we're going back to our regular rotations after that." Everybody groaned. "Don't worry, men, I'll make an exception and supply you with coffee and food while you're on duty to keep you awake until we can all get a reasonable stretch of sleep."

Cain indicated Tannen. "Lieutenant Commander Evergreen will head the first shift and I'll take the second. All right, you know where you need to be, you're dismissed." He turned to his second-in-command. "How's everything looking on the princess front?"

"Fine," Tannen reported. "Azkadelia just overdid it I think, and DG took herself too bed as well."

"Great, well then, I'm gonna leave you to make sure these guys stay alert and I'll go check in with her Majesty then turn in. See you in a few hours."

Tannen waved his boss off and began his rounds. For the next three hours, he patrolled a route of the palace mapped out by Cain to check on each stationed guard and monitor the weaker security points. He passed by the princesses' suite several times, checking in with Layton and Roberts who stood outside the sitting room. At one point, he escorted a maid around the palace, supplying piping hot coffee to the wilting guards.

The change of watch couldn't come soon enough, but come it did. There was lots of grumbling – both grateful and ungrateful depending on which end of the shift the grumblers were. Cain took a brief report from Tannen then dismissed him until morning.

The lieutenant gratefully hustled to his room, and got out of his uniform and into more comfortable attire. Just before he sank gratefully onto his bed, he remembered that he hadn't actually checked on Azkadelia since she went to sleep. He knew DG and his mother probably checked on her, but he wanted to see for himself that she slept peacefully.

He crept through the panel door and peeked out at the princess. The room was eerily quiet and chilled. With a furrowed brow, he called out.

"Azkadelia? Are you all right?" She didn't wake up, or even stir. Tannen started to feel concerned when he wasn't sure he could even hear her breathing. He tiptoed toward her bed and reached a tentative hand out and placed it on her arm. Her skin was cold like death, and it prompted Tannen to reach out and feel for her pulse – thready and faint – in her wrist. When he released her hand, it fell limply to her side. He would have thought she was dead if not for the shallow breath against his face when he put her cheek near her mouth. "Your Highness!" he cried, shaking her shoulder. He received no response and just as he was about to cry out for help, Azkadelia began to glow. Her Light filled the room and warmed her skin and Tannen's heart.

"What is going on?" he muttered. With a weary sigh, Tannen sank into a chair near Az's bed and settled in to watch over her until he knew she was back from wherever her dreams took her.

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_When she opened her eyes, it took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dim light – but when they did, she felt fear course through her. She was in _the_ cave. She scrambled to her feet and ran toward the opening only to be thrown back from it by an unseen force. She tried to summon her Light – use it to free herself, but her Light was gone – snuffed out like a failing candle._

_She was trapped in the cave._

"_You'll never be rid of me," a familiar voice whispered, coming as if from the air itself and echoing across the walls. "You'll _never_ be rid of me."_

_Azkadelia sank to her knees and covered her ears, but the witch was inside her head._

"_You are nothing but the evil stain I left in you – nothing!"_

_Az tried again to summon her Light, but the attempt only made the Sorceress cackle. "I smothered your light once," she crowed. "How disappointingly easy it was to do again."_

_The taunts and vicious words increased in speed and volume, surrounding Azkadelia both inside and out – the walls of her prison ringing with every wicked word the witch said._

_Finally, Az remembered what to do. She started to sing and she sang louder and louder until the witch grew weary of the song and left her for a while._

_Again, she crept to the mouth of the cave. This time, when she tried to stick her hand through the opening, she got a wicked shock. With a yelp, she moved away._

"_I'll never be free," Azkadelia moaned. "I'll never be free from this." _

_She cried until she had no more tears to shed, then she just stared into the forest beyond the cave. Suddenly, a man appeared in the distance and he began to walk toward her._

"_Help me!" Az screamed, waving her arms frantically. "Help me please!"_

_Another man appeared out of the foliage, and then she saw two more join him from behind a tree. All four of them came toward the cave. A few seconds later, Azkadelia saw a woman coming around some bushes and she too strode purposefully toward the princess. Another person emerged, and then another and another. Soon, scores of people – perhaps even hundreds – filled the forest in front of the cave – coming en masse toward her._

_The first man she saw reached her before anyone else. He was an older man, proud in his bearing, and Az thought he looked familiar. He stepped up to the mouth of the cave._

"_Help me, please," Azkadelia cried. "I'm trapped."_

"_Do you remember who I am, Your Highness?" the man asked._

_She shook her head. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I don't."_

"_I am Brynd Evergreen." _

_The princess gasped. "By Ozma, you're Tannen's father."_

_The man acknowledged her with a nod. "You are not a prisoner here, Azkadelia."_

"_But I am!" she sobbed. Lord Evergreen just smiled encouragingly at her and stepped back into the mass of people behind him._

_Another man stepped forward. "Do you remember me, Your Highness?"_

_Az stared hard at him. "You must be one of Tannen's brothers," she said. "You look like him. I remember the witch executed you for treason against her."_

_The man nodded. "I am Tegan Evergreen. Azkadelia, the witch has no power over you anymore."_

"_But she has trapped me in here, and when she comes back she will surely kill me!"_

_But Tegan just smiled at her and, like his father, disappeared into the crowd._

_A woman stepped forward. "Do you know who I am?" she asked. Az shook her head silently. "I am Adora Cain. And Azkadelia, you are more powerful than the witch."_

"_I'm not," Az sobbed, receiving another shock when she swayed into the force holding her in the cave._

_Adora smiled sympathetically – she looked beautiful and peaceful. "Oh my friend, you most certainly are."_

_While Az tried to think of a way to get the people to understand that she was helpless before the witch, the very creature's voice pierced the air again, cutting through Azkadelia's very soul._

"_You are nothing without me. Look at all these people you hurt – they've come to make you pay for your crimes against them."_

_Stunned, Az forcefully ignored the witch's voice, twitching in her effort to bring it down to a dull roar. She turned and looked at the people outside the cave. As she scanned the crowd more carefully, she realized she recognized some of the faces – the witch was right. These were all people killed – murdered – during the Sorceress' reign. For a moment, fear griped her heart, causing the witch's voice to get louder. Was this her judgment day? Had these souls come back, looking for retribution?_

_No. No, she didn't think so, for they all stood, looking serene and happy – and they were all smiling very encouragingly at her, as if willing her to know what they knew. The people crushed toward the cave mouth, all calling to her at the same time._

"_You are not her prisoner...Azkadelia, you have all the strength you need...You are not her prisoner...the witch will never win over your Light...take courage Princess...you are not her prisoner..."_

_The Sorceress' voice got louder as the people moved closer to the cave. Azkadelia struggled to focus on the bracing words from her ethereal advocates. It took all her draining strength to reach out to the people on the other side of cave mouth. She reached down to the very bottom of her soul and summoned her Light. She thought of DG, reaching out to her during the eclipse – when they'd beat the witch the first time. The memory gave her the last ounce of power she needed._

"_You can't win," the Sorceress hissed._

"_I already did," Azkadelia realized, tears springing to her eyes. Light leapt from her hands, spreading over her whole body. Through the bright blaze, she could see the people on the other side, calling their support and encouragement. She blocked out everything else but their peace and the Light flowing from her. With a disappearing wail and a great rumble, the cave exploded around Az, leaving her bright light to fill the woods around her – enveloping everything and everyone._

_There was no more fear, no more pain. Just peace and freedom._

Az opened her eyes and – though it was dark – knew she was back in her bed. She looked over and saw Tannen asleep in the big arm chair next to her night stand. All of a sudden, she had an overwhelming desire to be near him, to feel the touch of another human being. Before she lost her nerve, she crawled out of bed, put on her robe and wedged herself down beside Tannen, leaning against his arm.

He started when her weight hit him and came partially awake. "And where did you go Your Highness?" he asked, sleepily shifting a little in the chair so her legs draped across his lap, his arm around her shoulders. The position was simultaneously foreign yet familiar, and it neither frightened her nor make her feel anxious.

"To tell the witch I wasn't her prisoner anymore," Az informed Tannen.

"Good. 'Bout time," his words slurred a little and his eyelids blinked heavily. "Hey, you were all lit up there for a while."

"I un-smothered my Light," she explained.

Tannen's eyes shut and stayed that way. "Fantastic," he said. Azkadelia smiled. She wasn't sure he would remember this conversation in the morning, but it felt nice to tell him these things, so she didn't stop.

"And I talked with everyone whose life the Sorceress took, even your father and brothers. They all looked peaceful and happy and reminded me that I have my freedom – they helped me claim it from her."

"I'm glad to hear that," the lieutenant murmured. "So, is it done?"

"It is," she assured him, remembering when she'd asked him that so many months ago.

With a heavy sigh, Tannen tightened his hold on Azkadelia and pressed a kiss to her forehead, then fell back asleep. Az stayed awake, content with her thoughts and tucked up against her bodyguard, her friend, until the first sunrise began to turn the sky gray. Then she climbed off the chair, grabbed a blanket and draped it over Tannen before she climbed into her own bed and allowed sleep to take her.

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**Author's Note: Many, many, many thanks to Queen Isabella, Miller0259, KLCtheBookWorm, and Little Mender for being such faithful reviewers. Thanks to everyone else who has reviewed as well, I appreciate your feedback and critiques.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: There's some Cain/DG fluffy action in this chap. It's a strong T – doesn't wander over into smut, but don't think it didn't want to. I just want to keep the rating down. Also, I do not own Tin Man, but I'm grateful I can use these characters for all the fun and learning.**

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The next morning, Az woke up to an empty bedroom – Tannen left at some point during the few hours that she was asleep – and a full and free heart. She scrambled out of bed, ready to share her new lease on life with anyone she could find. She peeked into Tannen's bedroom, just to see if he was there. He wasn't, which was probably a good thing – the way Azkadelia was feeling, she might pounce on him in an DG-like hug, and those always seemed to make him uncomfortable...unless he was wakened from sleep, in which case the man lost most of his inhibitions.

Shutting the panel door, Az practically skipped into her bathroom and drew herself a hot bubble bath. When the tub was full, she sank into it with a sigh. The water felt wonderful, the bubbles felt wonderful, the sunshine peeking through the window felt wonderful. As she washed and rinsed her hair she counted all the wonderful things around her: her shampoo, her soap, her fluffy washcloth, the beautiful, porcelain tub, the indoor plumbing, the smell of toast and coffee drifting from the sitting room.

Everything felt wonderful – nothing could possibly be wrong today.

"Everything is so wrong today!" DG cried as she burst into Az's bathroom.

"Hello, naked lady here," the elder princess pointed out, scrambling beneath the layer of bubbles.

"Ah, please," DG waved off her sister's modesty. "I went through four years of high school gym."

Brow crooked, Az tried to decipher the Other Side lingo, but failed. "I don't know what that means..."

"It doesn't matter," DG said emphatically. "What matters is that we busted our butts to make last night a success and I'm about ready for a nice leisurely day and Mother has a _breakfast date _scheduled for me." Az still looked confused, so DG reversed and explained further. "I wake up and Wyatt's not next to me anymore. Instead, there's a note on his pillow saying I have to get ready because I'm needed for the little get-together this morning to entertain the Baxter boy. The _Baxter_ boy," DG said, like it might actually be a disease, not a young man. "I don't even know who that is," she wailed.

Az laughed at her sister, then caught on to something she'd glossed over earlier. "Wait – did you say you woke up and Wyatt wasn't next to you anymore? As in Wyatt Cain? Commander and Tin Man?" DG flushed and stammered, but her sister kept going. "Did you two...spend the – the night together?"

"No!" DG cried. "I mean, yes, but not like that." When Az's eyebrows quirked, she hastened to explain. "We just slept together. I mean, literally, we went to sleep next to each other. I tried the whole seducing him thing, but he put the brakes on that _claiming_ he needed at least three hours of sleep before working the next day. I'm just kidding, I know he needed it, but it's just so hard to be that close to him and not – " DG cut off her rambling and glared at her sister. "Just a second – you don't look very surprised about this. Last we talked nothing had happened with me and Cain, so I expect you to be freaking out. And you're not. What's up with that?"

It was Az's turn to blush. "Well..." she hedged. "I, um, sort of saw you two the other night, in the garden..." DG's eyes lit with understanding. "And Tannen was with me," the elder princess added. While she finished her bath trying to keep the bubbles strategically placed, she told her sister everything that Tannen told her – about Jeb's struggles to accept that his father loved DG and then seeing them in the meadow. Pulling the plug for the drain, Az gave a sheepish smile. "I promise we didn't mean to spy, it was an accident that we found you two at all."

"Actually, I'm glad you know – and I'm glad you told me about Tannen's conversation with Jeb. He acted so weird around me last night, and hardly spoke to his father at all and that explains a lot."

"Have you had a chance to discuss your concerns with Cain?"

DG sighed. "Are you kidding? We've both been so busy with this ball we've hardly said two words to each other. Last night, he was asleep before I could even start to make a list of all the things we need to talk about – this whole courting business and Jeb and the flimsy door between our rooms that is just begging to be torn off it's hinges and not to mention my raging hormones that are demanding some attention and – "

"DG!" Azkadelia said, blushing at her sister's brazenness. "What a thing to say!"

The younger princess just laughed and held up a towel for her sister. "Sorry, but it's true sister dear. I've long had a hankering for some Tin Man and I need to spend some time kissing him silly!"

They giggled together while Az dried off and got dressed behind a screen.

"What a disappointment that you're back to the grindstone," Az glumly reminded DG, who was standing at her sister's vanity, snooping through bottles and containers. "When are you two going to get a chance to sit down and discuss some stuff?"

"At the rate Mother's going? Never," DG pouted into the mirror. Az came out from behind the dressing screen in a simple but lovely blue gown, her hair hanging in wet tangles.

"You know," Az said, pushing her sister off of the vanity stool and taking the spot. "If _you_ had just thought to faint last night, you wouldn't have to do any of this today. Everyone would be leaving you alone like they are with me. But I already took that excuse, so you'll have to come up with another reason to disappear."

DG dragged a brush through her sister's hair and gasped when she thought of something. "You're brilliant, Az!" she cried. "I'm going to disappear!"

"DG you don't know that spell yet, and I won't help you – it could cause serious damage – "

"No, I'm not going to use magic," DG explained, rolling her eyes. "I'm going to _run away!_"

"What!"

"Yep, I'm going to run away. Just long enough to get out of breakfast and entertaining the _Baxter Boy_."

Az sighed and did a quick spell to dry her hair. "DG, running away is so...so..."

"Brilliant?" her sister supplied.

"I was thinking juvenile," Az corrected, pulling the top half of her hair back and securing it with a jeweled clasp. "Mother will send someone after you, you know."

DG cried aloud and jumped up and down. "Perfect, she'll send Cain after me! And then I'll hold him hostage and we can just make out all morning – hidden away somewhere in the gardens."

"Wait a minute!" the older princess cried. "Now you're bringing Cain into this? I don't think that's a good idea."

DG hit her knees next to her sister, interrupting Az's make up application. "Azkadelia, please," she begged. "Please, please, _please_, will you help me? I just need this one morning to spend with him – just him and no Mother or Father or Lady Tia or Roberts, Seth and Layton around. Or you and Tannen for that matter. No offense," she tacked on for good measure.

Az looked down at her sister and saw the desperation in her eyes. Except for the sort of couplings the witch had dabbled in, she didn't know _anything_ about relationships or love between men and women, so she could hardly fathom the emotions her sister felt for Commander Cain. But she _did_ know how to love her sister, and one ruined breakfast event and one grumpy queen wouldn't be the end of the world – especially since it meant the world to DG.

"All right I'll help you," she said, turning back and putting the finishing touches on her makeup while DG wiggled around in excitement. "Let's go get some breakfast and get you out of here before anyone comes looking for you. Then I'll make sure Commander Cain knows where you've run off to."

Their plan didn't get that far, for Az hadn't even finished her first bite of toast when Wyatt Cain burst into the sitting room, his all-business attitude rolling off him in efficient waves. "Why are you eating DG?" he scolded the youngest princess. "You've got to be in the parlor for breakfast in a half an hour to meet with your parents and the Baxter's."

DG set her chin. "I'm not going," she said stubbornly. She sounded confident, but her bravado faltered a bit when she scooted closer to her sister.

Cain crossed his arms over his chest and huffed in annoyance. "Look darlin'," he said with the air of a long-suffering man. "I don't like the little Baxter weasel anymore than you do, but please don't cause trouble for your mother. She's already chewed my ear off about getting you down there on time."

"I don't care if my mother is upset," DG spat, getting off the couch and facing the ex-tin man. "I'm running away this morning and I'm really hoping you'll come and find me."

"What? What are you talking about?"

Az laughed. "She needs a day off, Commander," the eldest princess informed Wyatt.

"Yeah," DG confirmed with her lips in a little pout. "And if I ask my mother to let me out of this breakfast, we'll start arguing and I would rather just...just disappear for a while – put off the consequences until later."

Cain sighed and dropped down into a chair. After getting a grin from Azkadelia, he pulled DG down into his lap. "So you're taking the morning off, huh?" he asked, stroking his fingers up and down her back.

"Yes, and after I run away, it would be really great if you could come and find me," DG told him hopefully, wrapping her arms around his neck and squeezing. "You know, it would be technically be your duty to bring me back for the Baxter Boy to drool all over."

Cain winced at the mental picture that created. "That's all good and well, kid, but I can't be gone all morning. I have reports from last night to write and file, and drills to run..."

"Think of it this way, Cain," Az interrupted him quietly. "For now, Tannen and I are the only ones that know about you two. But eventually, you'll have to tell Jeb and my parents and announce everything to the Court and then life will get really hectic. Why don't you just take today – be together, with nothing else standing in the way. I can almost guarantee you won't have a day like this again."

Cain looked at Azkadelia long and hard. "You're a good friend," he said quietly, a small but genuine smile on his face.

"And a good sister," DG murmured, her face pressed to his shoulder. "Will you please Wyatt? Take the day off with me?"

The commander chuckled and kissed her soundly. "Yeah, if you really want me along, I'd like that more than anything."

Just as DG placed a chaste kiss to Cain's cheek, Tannen came into the sitting room. He stopped short seeing the princess on his boss' lap, but when Azkadelia smiled at him, he just shrugged his shoulders and came and joined them, taking a chair next to where Az sat on the couch.

"Everything all right, Evergreen?" Cain asked.

"Yeah, the Consort asked me to check in on Azkadelia and see if she'd like to join him for lunch when he's done with the Baxter's. I'm done with my reports, so I dismissed Layton and Roberts. I figured you'd be taking DG's security rotation during the breakfast, so I'll just...what's going on?" He asked when everyone was looking at him strangely.

The other three looked at each other in silent communication for a few seconds before Cain finally rolled his eyes.

"For Ozma's sake," the exasperated commander said. "If I'm going to be gone all morning he's going to have to fill in for me – we have to let him in on the plan."

"The plan?" Tannen asked, a little nervous.

"I'm going to run away this morning," DG explained. "And Cain is going to come and find me and bring me back kicking and screaming, after the Baxter's are gone."

The lieutenant laughed. "I take it you don't want to sit through breakfast?" DG shook her head emphatically. "I can't say I blame you," Tannen told her. "That fellow's an ass. Oh, excuse my language ladies."

Azkadelia just shrugged his apology off and hid her laughter behind her cup of tea.

"We'll, if you two are going to disappear, you'd better be fast. Her Majesty was headed toward the parlor when I was talking to your father..." Tannen told them.

"You just go and I'll deal with mother," Az said to DG, who jumped up and hugged her sister.

"Thanks Az," she gushed. "You're the best. I don't care what you tell her, just make it..."

"Good?" the older princess suggested. "Juicy? Truthful?"

"Try: realistic but harmless," DG clarified. "And whatever you do, don't let Cain take the blame for anything, put it all on me."

Wyatt tried to take exception to that, but princess stopped him. "My dear, I am sure to be riding the wave of mother's good will after my excellent showing at the ball last night. She can't get very mad at me, so I'm the safest scapegoat."

When Cain looked like he would start to argue the finer points of being protected by the princess, Az laughed him off. "Go on, you guys," she urged. "Before Lady Tia wakes up and more people have to be included in this conspiracy."

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Hand in hand, Cain and DG hiked through the forest. Cain had a small pack on – stuffed full to the brim – and DG carried a blanket and container of water slung over her shoulder. As they crested a small rise, a picture perfect mountain scene met their eyes. A small cabin with a porch nestled into some trees below them. A stream gurgled through the clearing, passing through a pool at the base of a large pile of rocks. More water flowed down from cracks in the rocks, adding to the pool at the bottom.

"The water flowing from the rocks is hot," Cain said, pointing down the hill. "It joins with the cold stream and makes for a very nice little swimming hole."

"Oh dear," DG said, faking concern. "I didn't bring my suit."

Cain chuckled at her as she started down the hill, the sway of her hips keeping his focus. "Well isn't that too bad," he muttered when he caught up with her and took her hand again.

They walked to the clearing in silence. Once they got the cabin – it was more of a shack really – they ducked inside. It held a low bed, a wood stove with a pot and a kettle on it, a table, and three rickety chairs. Cain deposited his pack on one of the chairs and started taking items out of it. DG stood near the bed and watched him, suddenly very nervous. He unpacked some cloth-wrapped packets of food, which he put on the table. He took out a folded sheet and tossed it over to the bed. Finally, he took out a couple of towels and draped them over the back of a chair.

"You gonna just stand their all day, or would you like to put your stuff down too?" Cain asked DG, stowing the pack against the wall next to the door.

The princess jumped. "Yeah," she said, scrambling to comply. She put the water container on the table and moved to the bed. She shook out the sheet and laid it over the mattress, then folded the blanket at the foot of the bed.

Cain perched on the table watching DG acting strangely. "What's up darlin'?" he asked after seeing her smooth a perfectly straight corner of the sheet three or fifteen times. DG whipped around, startled by the sound of his voice.

"Nothing, nothing's wrong," she assured him.

"You seem anxious or tense, or something." DG thought about that for a long while, just standing and chewing on her lip. "You can tell me if something's the matter Deeg," Cain assured her. "Just talk to me – you don't usually have problems with that."

DG smiled wryly, then walked slowly toward Cain. "I suppose I _am_ a little nervous," she confessed. "I thought our day off would be something like hiding in the gardens until the Baxter's were gone and Mother cooled off a little. But you seemed to have..._other_ ideas."

Now Wyatt felt nervous. _Was he moving to fast?_ he wondered. After the last night, he thought no, he wasn't, but he couldn't be sure. "Is this too much?" he asked, reaching out for the princess' hand.

"No, no, not at all," DG hurriedly assured him lacing her fingers through Cain's. She stepped up to him, as close as his propped out feet would allow. "It's more than I even hoped for. I guess...I just..." she hesitated, unsure she wanted to confess one last thing.

"Out with it, sweetheart, don't get shy on me now."

DG sighed. "Well, I'm feeling like after all this time, now that I've got you alone – with nothing pressing to take care of and no deadlines to meet...I'm just not sure I know what to do with you."

Cain laughed low and stood up. The look in his eyes made DG's heart skip a beat. He advanced on her, backing her up until her legs hit the wood frame of the low bed. She swayed a little, but he reached out and grabbed her hips to steady her. "I wouldn't worry about that darlin'," he told her, after dropping a deep, lustful kiss on her lips, his voice husky and humor-filled. "Because I know _exactly_ what to do with you."

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And, oh boy, did he know. After spending some quality time on the bed, the love-starved and impassioned couple decided they wanted a swim in the hot spring, but only made it as far as the door frame before they found themselves wrapped around each other again. Eventually – and a stop on one of the kitchen chairs later – they did make it to the swimming hole, and didn't leave there until well after lunch had passed. After spreading the blanket under the sun to dry off and have something to eat, they got a little carried away and DG rolled into the sticky oatmeal cake Cain had swiped from the kitchens for their dessert. The princess didn't get to eat any of the sweet treat, but at least the tin man didn't let it go to waste and he thoroughly made it up to her.

It was a day of making slow, careful love with plenty of fiery hot and hurried episodes in between. Eventually, they started talking, too, about everything that needed their attention at the time: what they would say to Jeb and DG's parents and when they needed to say something, what they would do about DG's many suitors, and whose bed was the most comfortable. They didn't agree on any solutions to their dilemmas except for the fact that the lock on Cain's bedroom door made his bed infinitely preferred over hers. A couple of arguments and one steamy and heavy round of make-up sex later, DG lay, finally exhausted, in the crook of Cain's arm in the warmth the afternoon suns. The air breezed through the shady forest, raising goosebumps all over her bare body.

"It's gonna get chilly up here before too long," Cain said, pulling DG closer to him. "We'd better think about heading back.

DG nuzzled her face into his Wyatt's neck. "Bad idea," she mumbled. "Let's just stay here for forever. We'll build some better furniture and grow a garden and...wait – what is this place? Are we trespassing in somebody's home?"

"No, this is just a little place anybody can use if they need it. Some of the men on the Guard told me about it a few weeks ago, and I thought we'd come up and check it out. No one's a trespasser here."

"Good," DG said, a cheeky grin breaking across her face. "Besides, I guess we would actually be sexy trespasser's, considering what we've done on every flat surface of that little building..."

Cain laughed and rolled on top of her, pressing her into the blanket and kissing her hungrily. Just as she felt herself get heated up again, a horrible, ominous feeling washed over DG, and she gasped.

"What's wrong?" Cain asked, propping himself up on his hands over her.

"I...I don't know," she whispered, her brow furrowed in concentration. "I just feel...funny. Like something's not right."

Cain smoothed a finger across her forehead. "You wanna head back now?"

DG tried to figure out what the feeling was, but she couldn't quite place it. "No," she answered, hesitantly. "No, I'm fine, I'm sure everything's fine." She reached up and pulled Cain back to her, his weight on top of her solid and comforting and his warm skin on hers reassuring. Just as she let herself be distracted the feeling came back – forcefully.

"Something's wrong with Azkadelia," she said, sitting up abruptly. "We have to go back _now._"

Cain was two steps ahead of her, packing up their lunch and heading toward the cabin. By the time DG shook the blanket out and was headed to the cabin, Cain had the pack loaded up and his clothes half on. He took the blanket from her and tossed her underwear.

"Those were hanging on the stove handle," he quipped.

DG smiled as she slid the garment on, grateful that he sensed her urgency, and that he could keep her calm. He tossed her the rest of her clothes and gave her the water container to carry once she was dressed and ready to go.

"If we jog on the downhill sections, we can shave a couple of minutes off our time, you okay to do that?" Cain asked, leading the way out of the cabin.

DG nodded and gave one last wistful look back at the clearing that had given her such a welcome for her delightfully delicious day off before catching up with Wyatt and heading back to her sister.

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**Reviews are appreciated and cherished. Thanks in advance if you leave one!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I own nothing having to do with Tin Man.**

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Tannen put his hand on the door of the parlor, halting Azkadelia's progress. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, half wishing she would change her mind about covering for DG. The queen was going to be so mad, and Tannen, quite frankly, didn't want to be a part of making the queen angry. He didn't like it when queens got angry...

Az smiled at the lieutenant. "It's gonna be fine Tannen, I promise," she assured him, her hand on his arm.

"Okay..." he hedged, then opened the door for her. Everyone in the parlor stood for Azkadelia's entrance, and looked terribly surprised to see her.

"Azkadelia," Queen Lavender Eyes exclaimed. "My dear, I'm happy to see you my dear. Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, Mother, thank you," Az assured her. She turned to their guests and smiled. "Good morning Lord and Lady Baxter, how are you?" They returned her greeting, then introduced their son, who sketched a polite bow over Azkadelia's hand – which, she happily noted – didn't make her feel like slapping the boy away.

The Consort came over and kissed his daughter, then pulled her into a hug. "Please tell me your sister is coming soon," he whispered to her. "Your mother's starting to sweat and that's never a good sign."

Az refrained from laughing at her father's joke and pulled back. "Actually, Father, would you mind if I borrowed Mother?" She smiled apologetically to the Baxter's. "It will only be for a moment," she assured everyone.

The queen excused herself and followed Azkadelia out into the hallway. When the princess closed the door behind her mother, she sent a surreptitious glance over to Tannen, who met her eyes and grimaced.

"What is it Azkadelia?" Lavender Eyes asked. "Are you sure you should be up and about, my darling?"

"Yes Mother, I feel wonderful," Az said, giving her mother a hug and kiss. "Thank you for worrying about me though." Pulling back, she put her hands on her mother's shoulders. "Now, Mother, I don't want you to be worried," the queen blanched at that, "but DG has run away...temporarily."

"What?" the queen cried. "What do you mean run away? But she was supposed to entertain this morning! The Baxter's are already here! We've got to get her back! Lieutenant Evergreen, go find me Commander Cain immediately!"

L.E. got increasingly panicked until Az managed to catch her mother's attention.

"Mother, Mother, please just calm down," she said. "I've already sent Commander Cain after DG, although I'm not sure what good it will do. I don't think even he can make her come back here, and he's certainly not going to throw her over his shoulder and bodily haul her back. She's a grown woman, Mother, and we can't force her to come to breakfast."

"You're right, I suppose. I should have given her some time to settle into this whole new courting thing," the queen admitted with a sigh. "Ugh, What am I going to say to the Baxter's?" she asked no one in particular. Az just smiled reassuringly while she let her mother think through the problem. Suddenly Lavender Eyes gasped. "Azkadelia, dear, will _you_ come with me – help me entertain the Baxter's this morning?"

Az spluttered for a minute, obviously shocked. "I don't think...Mother, I'm sure they don't..."

"Oh, of course they'll love to see you, dear," the queen reassured her daughter. "And you look lovely this morning, they will only be too glad to be in your company. And you don't have to worry about talking with their son – he'll just have to wait until Cain brings DG back. Maybe he'll be able to talk some sense into her faster than we think and she'll show up before breakfast is even over."

The queen bustled back into the sitting room, dragging her eldest daughter behind her. While she made some excuses to the Baxter's, it was Tannen's turn to catch Azkadelia's eye, from his spot by the door, and her turn to grimace.

However, her grimace disappeared quickly. Having briefly talked with Azkadelia the evening before, Lord and Lady Baxter were not awkward in Azkadelia's presence. And though it was difficult to find things to talk about that didn't include the last decade or so, Az managed it, and managed it well. She talked ancient O.Z. history with Lord Baxter – carefully sans any reference to villains or traitors – and lightly gossiped about the Court with Lady Baxter. She even found she could talk to the Baxter boy – for once she asked him what his hobbies were, he went on and on about automobiles and she only needed to nod occasionally and look interested.

At several points during the breakfast, Tannen found himself staring at Azkadelia. She looked radiant this morning – beyond beautiful. And though his memories of the night before were a little hazy, he remembered saying that she defeated the witch – once and for all. Then, he remembered the way she tucked up against him, and how his arm fit around her shoulders and he started to feel a little hot under the collar.

When the visit came to an end, Az received gracious thanks from the Baxter's for the lovely breakfast and company, and she was able to return the compliments with all sincerity. The Queen and Consort escorted their friends out to their automobiles, beaming, proud smiles on their faces. That left Az to her own devices once again. She sat quietly on the couch for a moment, feeling a little dazed after her triumphant showing.

Eventually, she stood up and left the parlor, with Tannen walking just a step or so behind her. He saw a huge smile spread across her face and he noticed she seemed jittery and twitchy, but he decided to wait until she was ready to talk to him before he told her how wonderful he thought the morning went and how glad he was for her hard-won recovery.

He was wholly unprepared, however, when Azkadelia turned around and – in the middle of the corridor – wrapped her arms around his middle in a huge hug. Her eyes shut tightly as she squeezed him and she shivered when, after a shocked moment – Tannen put his arms around her, holding her close.

"Most wonderful day ever," she whispered, loving the feeling of the lieutenant's wool jacket against her cheek.

"After a victorious night like last night, I think this will be the first of many wonderful days for you," Tannen informed Az quietly, looking down into her happy face pressed against his collarbone. The lieutenant let the princess hug him for as long as she wanted, despite the funny looks they were getting from passing maids and stewards. When she finally stepped away from him, she was still beaming – fairly glowing – and she practically danced back to her suite.

When she burst into the sitting room, Tia was already there, and she smiled at the joyful look on Azkadelia's face.

"Well this is just what I want to see," Lady Evergreen crowed, patting the spot on the couch next to her. Az skipped over and sat down, but Tannen stayed near the door, at attention.

"Tell me my dear," Tia said, pouring Az a cup of tea. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Wonderful," Az told her.

"I was worried you might have over done it last night, you were a little loopy when Tannen brought you back from the ball."

The princess laughed – clear and full. "I'm sorry if I said anything to offend you – I'm afraid I don't remember much...except, I think I told Tannen he made me nauseous?" Az looked to the guard just as he rolled his eyes. "Oh I did?" she cried, his smirk confirming it. "I'm so sorry, Tannen, I'm sure I didn't mean it. Your son doesn't make me nauseous Lady Tia, not at all."

They all laughed and Az beckoned Tannen over to come and sit with them. For the rest of the morning, they sat and talked. Tia told stories about her grandchildren and about Tannen when he was young – much to the lieutenant's chagrin. They talked about the ball and the breakfast with the Baxter's and even about DG and Cain's disappearance – though Az quickly changed the subject so they wouldn't have to lie to Tannen's mother. One mother had already been given the run around today – and that was enough.

When lunch rolled around, Ahamo and a steward with a cart of food appeared, asking if he could join his daughter and her guests. Tannen jumped up and started to go take up his position again out in the hallway, but the Consort would have none of it.

"Don't be ridiculous young man, please sit back down," the Prince Consort admonished him. "And don't give me a line about doing your duty," he said when Tannen protested. "You have your service pistol on you? Good. You can shoot anyone who comes to make trouble just as well from in here as you can from by the door. Besides, I brought enough food to feed the army."

Tannen laughed at that, and hesitantly took his seat again. Tia moved over to a chair in order to let His Highness sit next to his daughter, and once the food was served, the Consort proved himself a wonderful addition to their merry party. He regaled them all with Other Side stories and tales of his hot air ballooning around the O.Z.

Their peaceful, happy lunch was interrupted when Lavender Eyes burst into the sitting room.

"Azkadelia," she cried, coming into the middle of everyone. "I've just received a note, my dear, from the Quadling Emissary asking for permission to come and court you this afternoon. How are you feeling my heart? Would you like to meet with him?"

The room was entirely still as everyone looked to Azkadelia for her answer. Her mouth went strangely dry as she tried to formulate an reply to her mother. From the corner of her eye, she saw Ahamo beaming happily at her, Lady Tia looking concerned and Tannen looking a little stricken.

With a sigh, she forced a smile to her face. "Of course I'll meet with him, Mother," she replied. After all, she'd been absolutely brilliant with the Baxter's, this would probably go just as well. Besides, she wouldn't _really_ be alone with him. Commander Cain had informed her that a guard would be present – at a respectable distance, but present – during all her meetings with suitors. That thought made her feel much better about the whole thing.

"Oh, gracious Ozma, I'm glad you're doing better!" Lavender Eyes cried. "I sent a reply to the Emissary that you'd meet him in fifteen minutes in the solarium, so let's hurry and get you changed."

The queen whisked her daughter into her bedroom and the Consort chuckled at their hurried departure. "Well, now I'm guessing DG will be sad she missed this," he quipped. Lady Tia smiled at him. "I suppose this effectively ends our very pleasant luncheon," he said with a sigh. "Lieutenant, I assume you're officially on my daughter's guard rotation?"

Tannen nodded. "And Layton, sir," he added.

"Hmmm..." Ahamo thought about that for a moment. "I think I prefer that you accompany Azkadelia on this – well, I suppose you've been trained on how this is going down, so just do it by the book."

Tannen couldn't think of a polite way to remind the Consort that he'd been the one to write the training manual on 'how to guard a princess who is holding court', so he just nodded and assured His Highness that he would do his level best.

The Prince Consort left the sitting room, muttering about little girls growing up too fast or something and Tannen and his mother eyed each other.

"What is it Mother?" Tannen asked.

Lady Tia's brow furrowed. "I'm not sure how I feel about Azkadelia seeing the Quadling Emissary," the woman whispered.

"What do you mean?"

Tia opened her mouth to tell her son everything that weighed on her mind, but thought better of it. Her son had spent this long in the dark about some of Azkadelia's most horrific experiences, and she wasn't ready to let the princess lose one of the only people who could look at her with out seeing her for her emotional scars only. Not that Tannen would judge the princess – his mother knew he most certainly would not. It was just that Tannen was a simple man – not stupid, just...straightforward and uncomplicated. He was steady and constant and loyal, brave, intelligent and giving – but he had never been one to listen to idle gossip and dramatic stories so he often failed to see the darker elements in the world because he assumed that most everyone held to the same ethical integrity and morality that he did. Not that he was a perfect saint, Ozma knew (and his mother knew) he wasn't, but her son was good and grounded and treated people with dignity and respect and she didn't want him to worry about how he should treat the princess if he knew of her deepest scars and wounds.

She _knew_ her son was in love with the princess – it was written in the lines of his care and concern for her. But she couldn't tell if Tannen realized he was in love with Azkadelia, and she wasn't ready to ask him.

"It's nothing son," Tia said. "I just think it's a little soon is all."

The lieutenant nodded in agreement, and felt extremely bleak.

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**A/N: From here, the story has open and frank talk about rape and sex and subtle references to torture. If you've been affected by these things, please skip this chapter. Just pm me and I'll give you a synopsis of the section so you can read on after this. Next, I'm just going to put a huge disclaimer here: I'm giving the general population of the O.Z. a more 'old world' set of values and virtues. So don't go all hinky on me and get offended if the characters are condemning things that you are in to – I'm assigning them a set of morals and values and having most of the society adhere to it. So don't hate or flame me, just remember I'm telling a **_**story**_**. **

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Her mother picked a deep burgandy dress for Azkadelia to wear to meet with the Quadling Emissary. The shade was a little too red for Az, but she wore it to please the Queen. A quick touch up on her make up and a couple of brush strokes through her hair had the princess ready to meet with her first suitor.

Lavender Eyes escorted her nervous daughter to the doors of the solarium and gave her a squeeze. "Have fun," she reminded Azkadelia, who smiled faintly at her before disappearing through the doors. Just as Tannen was about to follow, he was stopped abruptly by Her Majesty. "Don't follow too closely," the Queen whispered. "Though Commander Cain is worried about my daughters' safety, they won't get anywhere with a guard breathing down their necks."

Tannen decided not to inform the Queen that that might have been Cain's intention, so he just sketched a polite bow and assured her that he would do as she asked.

By the time he caught up with Azkadelia, she'd already found the Quadling Emissary and they'd made their customary greetings. They sat on a little bench, surrounded by pots of flowers and decorative shrubbery. Tannen wished he'd had a chance to reassure Azkadelia, but she seemed to be calm and collected so he tried not to worry.

Standing behind the couple on the bench, Tannen kept himself far enough away that he couldn't hear what the Quadling was saying to Azkadelia, but he had a direct line of sight – and he was well within range to drop the man with a single shot if necessary. That thought gave Tannen some comfort.

After awhile, Tannen noticed the Emissary leaning increasingly closer to Azkadelia, and at first, the princess allowed it, but eventually as the man got closer, she backed away. For one brief moment, Tannen rolled his eyes – taking his gaze off of the couple on the bench – and in that moment, all hell broke loose.

With a strangled cry, Azkadelia lashed out at the Emissary. "Get away from me," she screamed, pushing and slapping at him. Tannen sprinted to her, grabbing at her arms and pulling her away from the Quadling – but not before she left a wicked scratch on the man's neck. To Tannen's surprise, this didn't deter the man, in fact, it seemed to increase his desire to be near the princess.

"Your Highness, please understand me," the man said, his voice full of an emotion Tannen couldn't identify. Azkadelia screamed in fear again, hot tears pouring down her face as she fought to get away from Tannen and the Emissary.

"Leave now," the lieutenant ordered the attentive but strangely unconcerned suitor. "Leave or I'll call more guards to make you."

The Quadling gave Azkadelia one last, long look before scurrying away. Even after he was gone Az struggled against Tannen, her breath coming in great, gulping sobs.

"Let me go!" she finally cried out, flinging herself back onto the bench. Tannen complied, hovering over her.

"Azkadelia what happened?" he asked. When she didn't reply, he knelt down near her and tried to get her to look at him.

"Don't touch me!" she hissed at him, slapping his hands away from her.

Tannen officially began to panic. "Az, tell me what he did and I will fix it," he told her, his voice shaking a little in his urgency.

"Just me alone," the princess sobbed, hiding her face in her hands. She continued to cry into her hands that she was used and broken and dirty – she repeated the words over and over until she choked on them and could speak no more.

After a moment of confusion, Tannen tried once again. "Az, let me help you please. I'm your friend – you know that. Tell me what that bastard did to you and I will make him make it right."

"This was supposed to be a wonderful day!" Az cried, ignoring Tannen's plea. With a sob, she ran from the alcove, cringing from him when he tried to reach out and stop her. Tannen stood for a moment, trying to reign in his beating heart, before he quickly followed the princess.

He entered the suite through his room and heard the princess' continued tears. He raised his hand to knock on the door between their rooms when he heard the soothing voice of his mother.

"Come now Azkadelia," Tannen heard Tia say. "No more tears my dear, and tell me what's happened."

For a moment, the lieutenant couldn't hear what the princess was saying. Very carefully, he cracked his door, knowing neither woman would see it from where they sat. It crossed his mind that he shouldn't eavesdrop, but he was so worried the thought easily washed away. When the door opened beyond the wall, he heard Azkadelia's shaky voice.

"Tia, it's very...difficult to talk about, and I don't want to burden you," Azkadelia said with a sigh.

"Your Highness I already know what you've been through," the older woman said, very gently. "You have been able to let go of so many horrible things, and I think I understand why your experiences with Zero won't just blow away with the wind." Tannen heard his mother's dress rustle as she moved across the room. "When the witch killed someone, or ordered it done – it was her power, her force. When she brought Zero to her bed – it was _your_ body, your flesh. Now that the witch is gone, it's still your body that face the consequences – skin and bones that still remember an unclean touch and an...unholy union." She spat that last part out with disgust. Horrified realization washed over Tannen and he _knew_ what plagued Azkadelia's nightmares – why she shrank from his touch sometimes.

Azkadelia began to cry. "It's so...so wretched," she whimpered. "Awful and horrible and it's all bottled up inside me. And I've tried to talk about it, but I couldn't even tell the generalities to DG without her going into a tailspin. Imagine what that would do to my parents and all their plans for me."

Tannen peeked around the door frame and saw his mother gently guide the princess to a love seat near her window. When Tia took her into her embrace, the younger woman melted into pitiable sobs.

"As a mother, I know that it can be too much to hear about the horrible things that happen to our children. There comes with it a sense of despair and guilt and pain like I've never known. I understand why it hurts your family to hear about your experiences. But, as a woman, I know that what's in you will eat you up alive unless you share your burden my dear. I'm here to listen and I won't shrink from it. Talk to me Azkadelia. Let me help you."

Az continued to cry and Tannen wasn't sure she would even say anything. But after several minutes, he heard her begin to haltingly tell his mother about the twisted and bizarre sexual relationship the Sorceress had with Zero. And how, though the torture chamber-esque tools the two had used on each other had given the witch obvious pleasure, Azkadelia, in a fairly innocent and naïve state, only felt terror and unfathomable pain. She was forced to watch and feel things that she had no control over and her fear had given the witch great power. Rage filled Tannen and he had to cover his mouth to keep from crying out. His whole body shook in his anger and he pressed against the wall so as not to make any noise. As Azkadelia told of experiences increasingly disturbing, he heard his mother begin to sob, adding her tears to Azkadelia's and he fled from the room before the enormity of his emotion overcame him. Tannen ran to the security office and burst through the door.

"I need to take just a moment," he gasped to the officers sitting around the table. "My mother is visiting with the princess Azkadelia and they are not to be disturbed, but I would appreciate someone standing watch outside the sitting room until I come back." He left without waiting for their acceptance. He just sprinted from the palace and ran through the gardens toward the back walls. He ran until his lungs screamed for him to stop and his legs gave out beneath him. When hit the ground, he retched repeatedly, as if his body could reject all that he'd just heard. After calming down considerably, he began to sift through his emotions.

He'd spent so long trying to figure out what Azkadelia had been afraid of – and in his world of respect and chivalry, it never occurred to him that witch had just as twisted a view on intimacy as she had on ruling the O.Z. Fury turned the edges of his vision red and the keen injustice of life made his empty stomach lurch again. For all that the Sorceress _was_ Azkadelia – using her body, her voice, her eyes – the fact that the she _was_ Azkadelia was perhaps the most heinous crime of all. Because she – the witch – _wasn't_ Azkadelia. And yet she had supreme power to use the woman's body in any way she pleased. The witch had taken so much from so many, and the princess, it seemed, suffered the most under the Sorceress' reign.

He remembered the first time he'd really looked at the princess, after her remarkable feat on the battle field, and how he'd struggled to reconcile his emotions of her – with the face of the witch but the light of a daughter of Gale shining from her. Now he, and so many others in the O.Z., knew differently. It was no longer the face of the witch. Now Tannen looked at the woman and saw only goodness and kindness and a delicately, but tenaciously, maintained dignity. Now Tannen looked at Azkadelia and saw an earnest desire to atone for the witch's crimes and an honest effort to rectify what had been lost. Tannen closed his eyes and looked at the image of her on the back of his eyelids: long, dark hair lying shiny and straight against her neck and shoulders; pale skin with the touch of the sun on her cheeks and nose; and large, light eyes blinking in earnest at him, with the heart-breakingly dark smudges of stress beneath them.

For the first time since Az had gone to receive court from the Quadling Emissary, Tannen smiled. Staring at the princess as she was in his mind, his anger and anxiety was gone, replaced by a keen desire to be near her, to touch her, to protect her from everything dark and horrid in this world and beyond. Tannen's eyes flew open and his smile turned to a frown.

_I'm in love with her. Gracious Ozma, I'm in _love _with her. _

For a split second, Tannen felt relief – like admitting to himself what he felt lifted a burden from his shoulders. The feeling of freedom didn't last long. What good will love be after what Azkadelia has been through? He finally understood why she sometimes cringed away from him – he would be hard-pressed to trust again after her experiences. Could he even begin to think the princess would want something from him? Would she ever wish to feel the touch of a man again...like that? Tannen groaned. He wouldn't blame her if she didn't.

Anger at Zero and the Sorceress welled up in him suddenly and he lashed out, punching the ground. Sharp pain cracked across his hand, causing him to yelp.

"Damn it all to the Other Side!" he shouted. His knuckle was split and dripping blood all over. "Of all the obnoxious..." he cut off to stick his fist in his mouth and suck the blood away. "Stupid Quadling Emissary. If he hadn't come courting today none of this would have happened!"

A deadly thought entered Tannen's mind, and without stopping to consider what he was doing, he ran back to the castle, feeling his rage steam up again.

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Back in the palace, Azkadelia had calmed considerably under Tia's gentle presence. She continued to talk haltingly about her fear of being close with a man.

"And DG talks about being unable to keep her hands off the commander. She talks like it's wonderful, but I'm afraid I'll never get to feel that way. I mean, I've had contact with several men – all the dignitaries and nobles we meet with and every brush against them...every kiss pressed to my fingers leaves me cringing. I can hardly tolerate to stand near them. What am I going to do, Tia? Am I broken for good?" Azkadelia began crying again.

"Gracious heavens, child," Tia crooned, pulling the princess into a warm embrace. "Let's you and me have a little talk, shall we?"

"About what?"

"About sex," Tia replied calmly. Azkadelia blushed to the roots of her hair. "Well, actually, it's more intimacy than sex to be honest. Azkadelia, you said that you were afraid you would never feel about another man's touch like your sister feels about being with Cain, right?" Az nodded hesitantly. "Well, I believe that you are wrong."

"Really?" The princess was pathetically hopeful.

"Yes, truly. You've already gained so much back from the Sorceress – you will get this back too. It will take a lot of work, but someday, you will discover that the power the witch took from you when she forced your body into those...situations with that man will come back to you. Tenfold even, because you will have known what it was like to feel powerless. And when that happens, you will be able to open yourself up to a good, kind, genuine man who will make your blood sing through your veins and your stomach flutter with butterflies, I can promise you that."

Az felt her entire being focus on one metaphor. "My stomach will what?" Tia just looked confused. "Lady Evergreen, you said my stomach will flutter with butterflies. Why does it do that? What does that mean?"

"Oh, that feeling – that's a delicious one. I remember it well: it's flirty and fun and attraction and anticipation all rolled into one."

"Is that love?" Azkadelia asked.

Tia smiled sadly. This poor woman – hardly more than a girl on the inside – had missed so much, been denied so many lovely experiences during her imprisonment with the witch.

"Well, it's certainly a start, though I wouldn't call it love," Tia explained. "Though my husband made my stomach flutter long after we'd declared ourselves and been married."

"So the stomach flutter – that's a good thing?"

"The very best."

Azkadelia thought on that for a moment, feeling warmth spread over her whole body. "So, if I've felt that stomach flutter, does that mean I might get better? Be able to fall in love?"

"You will," Tia assured her, gently pushing the princess' hair back from her face and trying to calm her own heart, wondering if her son had anything to do with that beautiful emotion in the princess. "It might not happen overnight my dear – scars like yours don't just heal themselves – but I don't see you as the quitting kind. Not when you have a full and wonderful life ahead of you, just waiting for you come to terms with your experiences. Why look how far you've already come Azkadelia! The people of the O.Z. are healing and so are you. This intimacy business is just a couple more steps you need to take to keep going up the mountain you must climb. And even though it's painful and confusing – you still climb it just one step at a time. And keep talking to me and your sister and your mother when you're feeling powerless or afraid and we'll lift you up, help you take your next step. You can do this Azkadelia, I know you can. You are more powerful than you realize."

That statement made Az remember her dream – her vision. When DG reached out during the eclipse, they'd beat the Sorceress. Then, Az had summoned all her power and beat out the ghost of the witch – haunting her soul. This business with Zero and the Witch and the Quadling Emissary wasn't another battle to fight – she'd already won the war, reclaimed her power from them – it was just a momentary lapse. A small tumble down the mountain. But, the princess had loving people around her, and a clear, keen mind and a strong constitution, and she could get back up and get that ground back.

Az let herself fall into Tia's open arms and just be held for a while. A smile graced her face when she thought about how important Lady Evergreen had become to her. She truly loved the motherly woman, and was so grateful Tannen and Cain asked her to come and help her and her sister. She thought about Tia's promise that she would love again, and when she closed her eyes and pictured the man who made her feel flirty and fun and attraction and anticipation, she knew she'd taken another step up her mountain.

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Tannen stalked through the hallways of the palace, headed to one place with grim determination. Pages, stewards and parlor maids scurried out of his way. He turned a corner and saw two palace guards standing outside an ornate door.

"Commander Cain needs you both in the security office," he lied. "Right now. I'm here to cover for you."

Though both men thought the lieutenant commander looked like hell, his hand dripping blood on the floor and his hair sweaty and disheveled, they complied quickly. When Tannen was sure they were well out of ear shot and the hall was otherwise clear, he banged on the door.

"Yes, who is it?" a voice called from the inside.

"Lieutenant Commander Evergreen," Tannen replied in what he hoped was a calm tone. "Palace security. I'd like to have a word if I may sir?"

He could hear some shuffling and after a moment, the ruddy face of the Quadling Emissary appeared at the door.

"Oh, you," he said, not bothering to hide his distaste. "What do you want, I'm frightfully busy."

His arrogance flamed Tannen's rage and he slammed his palm into the door, shoving it against the wall. He grabbed the startled Quadling by the lapels and got in his face.

"What did you say to her?" he growled.

The Emissary recovered from his shock quickly, masking his face with bored indifference. "What did I say to whom?"

Tannen shook the man. "To Azkadelia. What did you say that upset her," he spat, carefully enunciating every word.

"Oh, this is precious," the dignitary said sarcastically. "You're come to defend her honor."

"No, I've come to defend her against predators like you and the kinds of things Zero did to her while the witch possessed her body."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Lieutenant," the Emissary said. "No flinging around such loaded labels like that. Predatory? You wish. Certainly_ no one _preyed on the Sorceress. She and Zero were well suited to one another. They both hungered for power and control. They both preferred dominance – the upper hand, you could say. And above all, they both had a fixation on pain. In and out of the bedroom."

Tannen felt a little sick. "How could you know that?"

"Who do you think supplied the tools and toys for their...games...with each other? The Munchkins? Hardly. I did, Lieutenant, and the Sorceress was very grateful, as it were. We Quadlings are known for our...voracity in the bedroom, and though she teased me and promised me much, the Sorceress and I never got to...play."

Tannen bunched a fist in the Emissary's lapel. Though he knew he often failed to notice some of life's more intricate subtleties, this time he had a horrible premonition about why the Quadling came to visit. "Why were you sent to Central City?" he asked, not giving the man an inch to move.

"Before we'd even heard of the Queen's intent to have a ball and invite the four corners of the O.Z. to celebrate with her, I had requested permission from my governor to come and bring suit for Azkadelia's hand in marriage. The ball provided another reason to come and take care of it now instead of later."

"Why? She's not the Sorceress anymore – you won't get what you desire from her."

The Emissary pushed back against Tannen. "You don't know that," he hissed. "And I thought that if she accepted my suit and we were married I could introduce her to my way of life slowly. That _the body_ she shared with the witch might remember that what some people think of as torture can actually bring you greater heights of pleasure. But once I heard about last night's events – that the princess remembered much of what the witch did while possessing her – I decided to see if she remembered the Sorceress' time with Zero, and if she missed it. Once you've been in that kind of power struggle, it's hard to let go of. I wanted to let her know she would be welcome to look me up should the, uh...the need arise."

Tannen stood listening – unable to stop the pompous man in his horror. But the last of the Quadling's insinuations spurred him to action. He slammed the Emissary into the wall behind him. "You monster," he hissed in the man's face. "Do you remember that she was a young girl when the witch took over her body? The sorceress took from her what no person should ever take – and here you are, glorifying it."

"I'm not glorifying anything, just opening a door to her."

Tannen leaned back and punched the man across the face, sending his head cracking against the door again. "You sick bastard!" he spat at the shaking, huddled figure.

"Evergreen!"

He turned in surprise, leaving the Emissary hanging onto the door, a hand over his face. Wyatt Cain stalked up the hallway. "You are out of line Lieutenant."

Though he was shaking in anger, Tannen stepped back. "Welcome back Commander," he said, trying to catch his breath.

"What the hell is going on? I hear you're sending guards on all sorts of fool's errands and now I find you assaulting a guest of the Queen?"

Tannen saw the Emissary smirk out of the corner of his eye. "I apologize for the infraction, Commander, but this _asshole_ insulted Her Highness, in the basest way possible." He struggled to calm himself.

"I'm sure everything can be explained, if you'd get out of the man's face?" Cain said, turning to the Quadling and helping him stand. "What happened?" He asked after Tannen cleared away. He was respectful, but the respect covered a cold fury and stoic, controlled rage – which seemed to intimidate the dignitary.

The Emissary quickly explained again what happened – sans the attitude and perverseness. He attempted to brush off the whole incident as a misunderstanding. "Like I told your lieutenant," the man stuttered slightly, "I just asked if she remembered her experiences with Zero and told her that I was open to similar things should she ever want to..." He trailed off as Cain's eyes went stormy.

Tannen didn't see his boss' gun clear leather – but suddenly Cain had a hold of the Emissary's jacket, and his gun stuck in the man's face.

"You have exactly one hour to get your entourage out of this palace and away from the Royal Family," Cain growled sinisterly. "And if I ever hear of you coming back this way, I will order you shot on sight. Do you understand?" The Quadling nodded stiffly. "Good. Remember this – and tell any of your other skeevy friends in your district: Princess Azkadelia is off limits to all of you – and will only be treated with the utmost care and respect. She is no longer something to be used in your sick fantasies."

Without another word, Wyatt turned around and walked briskly back down the hallway. Tannen stared at the dignitary for a long moment, letting his disgust show.

"Clock's ticking," he spat, before following his boss. When he caught up to him, he only had one question:

"Did you already know about what happened to Az – back when the witch..."

Cain sighed heavily. "I did."

"DG?"

"Yes, she was really torn up about after Az told her."

"I didn't know," Tannen admitted, obviously upset. "My mother knew – even with out Azkadelia telling her. I just couldn't see it. Hell, I didn't even know people...did what the witch and Zero did. Call me naïve, but I didn't. I suppose I just..."

"Had good, healthy relationships around you for examples? There's nothing to be sorry about for that."

Tannen took a deep breath. "What am I going to do?" he asked.

Cain had a feeling – and judging by the beating the lieutenant had just given to give the Quadling Emissary – that that question entailed more than just present time. It sounded like a life-changing question, a heart-changing question.

"I don't know exactly," Cain replied. "But I think we just need to keep treating her like we've always treated her. DG says she trusts us and isn't frightened of us, so..."

"Do you think we can ever prove that all men aren't scum?"

"Why do you think I'm always grabbing her hand or patting her on the shoulder? She doesn't shy away from me, so I consider it good practice for her. Proof that not every man will touch her with ill intentions. I don't know if it's working, but she hasn't spazzed on me yet."

"Now that I think of it, you have been excessively _physical_ with her lately. I was wondering why when you aren't so normally," Tannen observed.

"Jealous, Evergreen?" Cain easily hid his smile.

The lieutenant just glared at his boss and walked a little faster.

_He has no idea, _Tannen mused darkly, thinking back to another night where such words were uttered.

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**A/N: So...what do you think? I would really appreciate a review of this chapter, it was an important one to me. Thanks.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Hello everyone. It's been many, many moons. Many, many, many, many, many moons. I'm not sure anyone will actually want to read this, but I'm putting it up for myself. Because I don't finish anything, notoriously, but I want to be a finisher, so I'm starting with this piece of fanfiction that doesn't really matter in the big scheme of my life. So, the laptop this story was on died. Bricked, hard core. I lost everything. I've thought about this story a lot and even tried to recreate it as it was, but it just didn't work. Someone messaged me a couple of weeks ago and said, basically: "Hey jerk, why don't you finish this story!" (I paraphrased)**

**So I'm finishing it. I couldn't remember how I transitioned so I re-edited the final chapter to transition into what I'm working on now.**

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DG busted into Azkadelia's room, startling her sister and Lady Tia who were talking quietly and hopefully.

"What's wrong Az? Are you all right?" the younger princess cried, running to her sister's side.

"DG, you're back? How was your day?" Az asked, accepting DG's frantic hug.

"Amazing, magical...amazingly magical," DG said. "But that doesn't matter. What's happened?"

"I've just had a difficult afternoon, Deeg, but I'm all right now," Az assured her. "How did you know about it? Didn't you just get back?"

DG fidgeted. "I can't tell you exactly what was wrong, but all of a sudden I just had this overwhelming feeling that you needed me. I shouldn't have run away this morning and left you here."

Azkadelia sighed happily. "Oh DG, please don't beat yourself up. I'm fine, I promise." She briefly told her sister about her encounter with the Quadling Emissary and she and Lady Tia dealt with DG fairly climbing the walls in her anger.

When they finally soothed the younger princess down to calmer levels, Tia suggested they go find the ladies' parents. They barely left the sitting room when Wyatt Cain appeared and pushed everyone back through the door.

"Wyatt, we must talk to you," DG told the commander.

"No, actually, I need to talk to you, before your parents get here," Wyatt said, grabbing Azkadelia's arm and pulling her to the couch. He helped her sit and then took the spot next to her.

"You need to tell me exactly what the Emissary said or did to you Azkadelia," Cain ordered in his no-nonsense tone. The princess complied quickly, giving the commander a little background on why the Quadling Emissary would even approach her in such a way.

"Shit!" Cain swore harshly once Az was done with her story, making the princess startle. He jumped up and started pacing the floor. "Shit, shit, shit! That rat bastard! I can't believe I just let him go. Just let him walk away! It seemed like the appropriate alternative to just killing him on the spot, but now I'm not so sure."

"What's wrong Cain?" DG asked, trying to keep pace with the man.

"When we got back, I stopped by the security office and found two guards there, asking me what I wanted with them. They were the two men stationed at the Quadling Emissary's suites and they said that Lieutenant Evergreen dismissed them from their posts, saying I needed them immediately."

Azkadelia's cheeks went ashen. "What did he do?" she whispered.

"Well, when I found him, he'd just landed a punch to the Emissary's face that sent the man sprawling onto his ass."

Tia began to cry softly, worry and fear on her face. DG perched next to her and put an arm around the older woman's shoulders.

But Cain wasn't done. He sat down next to Az again, and carefully took her hand in his. "Your Highness – Azkadelia," he started, a little uncomfortable. "You should know that the Emissary talked quite a bit, before Tannen shut him up."

Azkadelia gasped and – if it was possible – paled even more. She turned her face away from the commander and he saw tears slip down her cheeks. After a few quiet moments, she gasped. "Does Tannen know...everything?" she asked, the horror apparent in her voice.

"Yes," Cain confirmed. He let her take her hand from his and she covered her face. "After I took him off the Emissary, he told me he followed you back to your room after you left the solarium and he overheard you talking to Lady Tia. He listened, but left after a while because...well, he said it was hard for him to hear about you being mistreated like that. He said he took himself for a walk and that's when he started getting real mad at Zero and the witch and the Quadling Emissary and well, there was only one person on that list that he could do something about."

"Where is the lieutenant?" DG asked moving to sit by her sister, who still had her face covered.

"He's in the infirmary." Tia gasped,.covering her mouth with her hand. "He had a couple of split open knuckles – " Now all the ladies cried out and Cain rolled his eyes. "Calm down everyone," he said, "he didn't split them open against the Quadling's ugly mug, so stop worrying. I think he punched a tree or something."

Their tense conversation came to an abrupt halt when the Queen and Prince Consort burst through the doors, a few advisors in tow.

"What in the hell is going on?" Ahamo shouted, making his daughter's jump.

"The Quadling Emissary has the makings of a black eye the size of an orange and he's running from Central City like we have the plague," Queen Lavender Eyes told them. "Azkadelia, dear, tell me what happened today."

"Did you talk to him, Your Majesty?" Cain asked, standing at attention.

"No," Lavender Eyes said. "He refused to meet with me. I sent Ambrose in an auto to try and avoid an inter-district incident. But Azkadelia: what happened?"

DG gave Az's shoulder a reassuring pat. "It's time," she whispered to her sister.

Azkadelia sighed. "Father, Mother, I have something I need to talk to you about. And it very...difficult so maybe you'd both better sit down." The royal parents took a seat on the couch opposite their daughters and Az braced herself for the conversation. "When the Sorceress had...control of me, she had many...relationships. One of them was with her general, Zero. It was a very violent relationship, and they used many...many props, er toys together or on each other. And they got those things from the Quadling Emissary who happened to specialize in such luxuries – or whatever – and I guess the Sorceress had once promised him that she would be with him at a point in time, and we defeated her before that time came. So he came to see if I would want him to make good on that promise.

"And that's when I got upset and the lieutenant removed him from my presence. But I left before I knew what happened between them."

Silence rang through the room, the only evidence that Lavender Eyes or Ahamo even heard their daughter were the tears running down both their faces. Finally, Ahamo burst from his seat. "I'll hang the man from the rafters," he cried.

Az jumped up and rushed to him, reaching out to comfort and soothe. "No Father don't, please. He's going back home now, so let's be done with this whole humiliating debacle."

From the couch, the queen wiped at her eyes and found her voice. "Why didn't you tell us this before Azkadelia? You've carried this burden since the eclipse?"

"It's painful for you to know," Az explained with a sigh. "And, it makes a difference to the people of the O.Z. if they have a princess that is so...messed up. If they didn't know it, it couldn't burden them."

"Yes, but we could have helped you! Gladly we would have helped you," L.E. told her daughter.

Az moved back to her spot on the couch next to DG. "Mother, please try to understand, it's been just as hard for me to talk about as it's been for you to hear. It's embarrassing and...horrible all around."

Tia finally spoke up, when it seemed the Queen was continuing to feel hurt that her daughter had taken so long to talk to her about her situation. "Well, you're talking now, Your Highness and this is a good place to start. Your Majesty, I think Az will continue to reach out for help from now."

"Yes, I will," Az promised. "Mother, may I ask – is this going to cause a stir with the Quadlings? And, what's going to happen to Lieutenant Commander Evergreen? Please, I don't want anything to happen to him, he was merely...defending me."

"Oh, plenty will happen to him, I assure you," Queen Lavender Eyes said, getting worked up. "We'll start by giving him a medal," she cried. "Then we'll promote him – which means I'm going to have to promote you, Commander," she said to Cain. "And I'm running out of titles to give you, unless you feel like moving into the nobility."

"Speaking of Lieutenant Commander Evergreen," Ahamo hedged. "Perhaps we should pay him a visit L.E., let him know how grateful we are to him, and let him know we will make everything right."

"Yes, let's go right now – Commander Cain, where is he?" When Cain informed the queen where Tannen was, she fussed anew over his injuries, then swept from the room – full of purpose. Ahamo kissed Az and hugged her tightly, then followed his wife.

When they left, everyone sat in shock, absorbed in their own thoughts. After a while, DG huffed out her breath and laid back against the couch, starting to feel the soreness and fatigue of her energetic morning. "Who would have thought that – with a such a lovely start – this day would turn into something so...yucky."

Az's breath hitched with a sob and her eyes sprouted tears. "I know. It was supposed to be a wonderful day."

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With all the drama surrounding the hasty departure of the Quadling Emissary and his entourage, the Queen and Consort were barricaded in their offices through dinner and into the evening with Ambrose and other advisors. DG and Az had the stewards bring dinner to their sitting room and Cain and Tia – still sitting with them – joined them naturally. They hadn't seen hide nor hair of Lieutenant Evergreen, but only DG had been out of the suite to visit with Raw for a short while. Not even the commander knew where his second was – he was more concerned for Azkadelia than he was for Evergreen, so he focused his efforts where she was.

Dinner was a subdued, but peaceful event. Azkadelia seemed to be handling everything in stride, although she had moments of distractions and difficulty.

Without any notice, Tannen stepped into the room, and everyone went still – spoons and forks frozen in mouths or above plates, but the lieutenant didn't notice that – his eyes immediately sought Azkadelia's. The princess looked at him, and her hurt and confusion tore at him. Just as he started to go to her, she dropped her fork and fled the room, slamming her bedroom door shut behind her.

"Az!" Tannen cried, moving to follow her.

"Evergreen, don't," Cain told him.

"Leave her be son," Tia commanded gently.

The lieutenant turned to them. "But...but I love her," he confessed with a sigh.

DG smiled sadly and came to put her arm through his, pulling him toward the couch. "That it the best news I've ever heard," she told him. "But this has been a abysmally depressing and embarrassing afternoon for Az and, knowing my sister, she just needs a moment to deal with it all. Come sit and have some dinner."

The younger princess really had to tug, but eventually she got the lieutenant over to their makeshift dining room table and got him a plate of food.

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A few, very secluded days later, Az awoke to with a nagging feeling. While she readied for the day, she tried to sort through everything that still had her feeling slightly nauseous lately.

One the one hand, there was the fact that she was religiously avoiding Lieutenant Evergreen. She burned with shame when she thought of him knowing what had happened to her.

On the other hand, this wasn't the first time Tannen had heard something unpleasant about her – seen the darkness the witch brought to her life – and he'd promised her he still liked her. So why should this be any different?

Azkadelia sighed. It was different because her stomach fluttered for him, that's why. He was her best friend, but after talking to Tia, Azkadelia had a sneaking suspicion that he was more than that to her. She thought about a few night previous – waking up in the semi-darkness and seeing him near her bed. She remembered the feeling of wanting to be near another human being in the wake of her vision – but now she recognized that it wasn't just anyone she wanted to be near. She wanted _his_ presence, _his_ comfort, and yes, _his_ touch. Nothing that frightened her or appalled her – Tannen was goodness and kindness and care.

Unwillingly, Az's mind drifted back to the one hand: the fact that Tannen had heard that Az had been defiled – spoiled for any other man. Surely no man's ego could withstand that – good and loyal though the lieutenant was. However...he had gone to defend her against the Quadling...she hadn't even asked him too. And he'd punched him! Of all things. Az abhorred the violence, but something about knowing that Tannen wanted to strike down the man that insulted her so made her feel...bubbly on the inside.

Az let her thoughts drift over Tannen – his tall frame and dark hair filled her mind. His eyes smiled at her from the back of her eyelids. His hands were gentle – she knew they were, and they would be even more – especially if they grazed across her skin...

A knock startled Azkadelia out of her day dream.

"Oh Azzy dear," DG called in a sing-song voice through the door. "Are you about ready? Mother's getting antsy."

The princess gasped. She'd completely forgotten about the tea her mother arranged for this morning. It was a 'social mixer', as Ahamo jokingly put it – the guest list made up of people age appropriate as suitors and friends for the two princesses. L.E. and DG had butted heads about whether Azkadelia should come to the party. Surprisingly, it was her mother insisting that her oldest daughter not worry about coming to any of the society events that she didn't want to attend and it was DG insisting she get out of her room.

Even though Az didn't want to disappoint her sister (she knew DG just wanted her to be happy) the whole idea of having to socialize brought back Az's nausea. An idea came to her mind, and – without stopping to think it through – she made the decision.

"Yes, I'm coming DG," she called. "You go on without me, I'll be right behind you."

DG told her to hurry, and Az listened for the faint sound of the sitting room door shutting behind her sister and Cain before she set her plan into motion. Hastily scrawling a note of explanation she left it where it could be easily seen, then she quietly snuck back through her room and into Tannen's. Feeling a little guilty for intruding on his privacy, the princess quickly ran though the room, stopping at the door leading out into the hall. Her plan was to sneak out through the hallway – hoping that the men standing guard outside her sitting room wouldn't notice her. And if Tannen was in the sitting room waiting for her, he would be none the wiser.

If she got away – free and clear – she would spend her day in the garden. The 'Azkadelia version' of running away. If DG could do, then so could she.

Azkadelia eased out of the room, stifling a gasp. Tannen was one of the guards standing on duty outside the suite. Mentally cursing her bad luck – for he was very perceptive while in 'soldier mode' – she did her very best to stealthily close the door and ease down the hallway.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Another chapter. I've got probably 3 more to go, but they won't come quite so fast. However, I'll try.**

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After DG had left for the tea with a member of the Royal Guard in tow, telling him Azkadelia would soon be coming also, Tannen flopped onto the couch. He was not ready for another day of misery. Az still wasn't talking to him – she wasn't angry, but he thought her embarrassed silence hurt him even worse. Didn't she know that he would do anything for her? He knew her better than anyone. Tannen admitted to himself that his pride was wounded, as well as his heart.

And it had been such a wonderful day, Tannen thought, wishing he could have changed the course of that afternoon. His knuckles still ached slightly from where he punched the ground and then the Quadling – but remembering his actions didn't bring him much relief.

He got up from the couch where he'd been waiting for Az and went out to the hallway. "Layton," he said, stiffly. "You're on active-duty today, I'll take your shift here."

The other man looked confused. "She still in her room?" he asked.

"Yeah, but her sister said she's said she was going to the tea, so I'm sure she'll be along in just a minute."

Layton nodded then went into the sitting room. Tannen saw him pour himself a cup of tea and take a seat on the couch. Feeling a little empty, he shut the door and took Layton's previous position in the hallway.

After a few minutes, Tannen heard his own bedroom door crack open down the hallway and his heart kick-started. A flash of dark hair out of the corner of his eye told him Azkadelia was being sneaky, so he kept his eyes trained straight ahead, suppressing a smile – his first real one in days.

He turned his head to the side just a bit, so he could keep the princess in his peripheral vision. When she turned a corner, he turned to the other guard, who'd been openly watching the princess sneak down the hallway. "This is a first," he said with a grin. "Get Layton back out here. I'll follow her."

"Yes sir."

Tannen took off after the princess, forcefully keeping himself at an appropriate distance. Unfortunately, when Azkadelia turned into the gardens, he lost her. Patiently, he walked the grounds, checking every nook, cranny and hiding place. Finally, he found her – sitting against a rock wall in the dwindling shade of a lilac tree.

"You're supposed to be meeting with Duke of Davis and twenty of his closest friends, you know," Tannen said quietly.

Az startled when he spoke, but didn't look too displeased to see him so he plopped down next to her, sighing at the relief from the cool shade.

"I ran away," Az told him. "I figured, if DG can do it, I can too." She stared at her hands, twisting in her lap. "I left a note," she said apologetically. "In case Mother got really upset, you could come and find me."

Tannen nodded his understanding and they lapsed into silence, just sitting and watching the gardens shine under the late morning suns.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you," Tannen whispered, his eyes never leaving the vegetation before them.

"It wasn't your fault, you don't need to apologize," Az replied softly, renewing the study of her finger nails.

"I know," he told her. "But...but I _feel_ sorrow for all that you've been through and if I could make it right for you, I would." It was a line straight from her book, but it was all he could think to say to her without feeling like he was pushing too far.

Az's heart fluttered and she smiled – it was wonderful to admit to herself that she'd missed him over the last few days of her self-imposed isolation. She let the delicious feeling that being near the lieutenant brought her fill up her whole being. She had a fierce longing to be nearer to him again, like she'd felt after her vision. In a fit of bravery – for he was fully conscious now – she leaned over and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Thank you," was all she said. They sat that way for a while before Tannen decided he had to clear some other things between them.

"So, are you ever going to speak to me again?" he asked.

Az blanched and sat up again. "I'm embarrassed," she whispered, running her fingers over her eyes.

"You're not embarrassed around anybody else," he pointed out.

"Well, I am, actually, but it's just easier to deal with them."

"Why?"

"I don't know...you heard _everything_ that happened and...that's horribly...terribly mortifying."

Tannen tried not to let his impatience show. "Yes, but my mother knows and – "

"It's different with you!" Az cried, jerking her hands down from her face and turning toward him, desperation filling her tone as she willed him to understand what she didn't even understand in her own mind and heart.

The lieutenant felt an edge on his control slip. "It shouldn't be hard to tell me things, to let me be the one you lean on," he practically growled. "I love you and that makes me the best person to be there for you!"

The princess gasped, her eyes as big as saucers. Tannen's head hit back against the rock wall, his breath whooshing out.

"Oh, gods, everybody said I needed to wait to tel you, and I don't want to pressure you or push you or anything. And maybe I'm not the best person to help you, I don't know. But I do know I love you. Not because of what you went through or what you did or any of that; I love you for you right now, right here."

He pushed up from the wall and turned to look Azkadelia in her eyes – still rounded in shock – and continued his confession. "And whatever you tell me, or don't tell me, or sugar coat for me isn't going to change that. If you want to tell me things, or if you don't, that's all fine. But don't...don't shut yourself away from me, please."

Azkadelia just stared at the lieutenant in the waning shadows of the lilac tree, but her expression was unreadable.

Tannen groaned and dragged his hands over his face. "By Ozma, Az, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. I don't want to hurt you in any way and I definitely don't want to pressure you – "

"You love me," Azkadelia interrupted the rambling lieutenant, who only nodded in reply.

"You _love_ me," she repeated, turning her body toward him now, her brow furrowed in concentration.

Her face was largely expressionless and Tannen felt a little queasy at her repetitions.

"I do, Azkadelia, truly I do."

"You love _me_," the princess said again, her tone quiet but intense.

Once again, Tannen's patience slipped. "Yes, the emphasis doesn't change it Az," he quipped, letting frustration color his tone a little.

His sarcasm seemed to finally shake Azkadelia out of her shock. She lifted herself to her knees next to him, her face earnest and guileless.

"Tannen, I don't know anything about being 'in love'," she told him, her breath catching. "I'm not – I don't know what it's supposed to feel like." Tannen started to interrupt her, but she rushed on. "I mean, I know what I feel for DG, that I love her. And I know what I feel for my mother and father, that I love them too. Even though it's a little different, I know what it is. And I know what I feel for your mother and for Cain. That I love them in a way that is even more different, but I do still love them."

"Do you feel anything for me, like you feel for them?" Tannen asked, hope filling him.

Az blushed prettily, and wouldn't meet his gaze. "What I feel about you isn't...it isn't like I feel for them."

Tannen smiled. She was so lovely, so perfectly wonderful as she worked through her life. Love filled him – chased away all his fears and insecurities. "What _do_ you feel about me?" he asked, scooting away from the wall and closer to the woman he loved.

Azkadelia bit her lip, earnestly considering his question. "I know that I feel safe with you. Like there was never anything to be scared of in the first place." She took a deep breath, her mind flooding with everything he was to her. "I know when you walk in to the room, my stomach fills with butterflies. Your mother told me that was a good thing, that she felt that for your father. I know that I feel like I can conquer anything when I'm with you. I mean, I was climbing mountains and fixing things for myself, but when you take my arm and walk with me I think there's nothing I can't do. I feel like you are kind and brave and loyal and you know me better than anyone – except for maybe DG."

"Of course," Tannen interjected lightly with a small smile.

Azkadelia returned his smile and asked her heartfelt question. "If I take those things and roll them up in a ball – is that being 'in love' is?"

"Do you want it to be?" Tannen answered with his own question.

The princess looked at the lieutenant for a long moment. She reached over and touched his face gently. "Yes, I do. Very much."

Tannen grinned widely and grabbed the delicate hand that touched his cheek. He kissed her palm and for a moment they just smiled at each other, their hands pressing together. Suddenly, Azkadelia's face fell.

"But what if I'm wrong?" she gasped, her panic very real. "There are so many things I don't know and I'm not sure I can see through everything that happened to me to get to the truth. What if I mess this up for us? I don't want to hurt you at all – "

She would have continued, but he cut her off with a smile. "Only you would worry about something like this right now," he chuckled.

"I'm not martyring myself here, Tannen," Az protested. "Truly, this is something we have to talk about. I still have a lot of things to work through and maybe it's not the best idea – "

Tannen interrupted her again. "Wait, Az, wait. I already told you that nothing you can say will change how I feel about you. But I also don't want to pressure you at all – so how about this: let's just say that these feelings you have for me are love. Let's just say you are in love with me – hey I kinda like that –" he laughed when she poked at him. "Okay, okay, I am taking your concerns seriously. Why don't you try on these feelings you have for me for a while. Let's just be in love for a few weeks and we'll see at the end if it's really love or if you feel something else. And if you don't, in fact, love me, then I'll work out what to do then. You won't have to worry about anything..." Tannen trailed off, not willing to flesh out the other option any further. When Azkadelia shivered, he figured she didn't like the alternative either.

Very carefully, the princess shifted onto her hip, tucking herself right up next to Tannen. "So," she whispered, unaware what her nearness was doing to the lieutenant. "We're in love," she stated, a radiant smile spreading across her face as the words came from her mouth.

"Yeah," Tannen replied, suddenly unsure what to do next. He busied himself tracing the seam on Az's skirt that rested on his leg.

But the princess was more bold in the moment. "So...if we _are_ in love, I think you should kiss me," she said.

Tannen's heart kicked up into his throat. "Like I said, I don't want to pressure – " He was cut off by the chaste, sweet press of Azkadelia's lips against his.

"Well, then, _I _want to pressure _you_," Az said when she'd pulled back from him.

Tannen found that he caved very easily under her particular brand of pressure.

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	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: What happens after I commit to finishing this story? Another computer crash and I lose everything. However, this story is never far from my mind. I want to finish, and so I plow ahead. This is nothing like what I had before, but time gave me new perspective and plot lines. Enjoy.**

**MW**

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Tannen couldn't help it but to have to go back to real life after a few short hours out in the gardens with Azkadelia. He had meetings after lunch and a new recruit training for the rest of the afternoon and late into the night. Normally, he wouldn't have said anything about his plans, but now...now that they had declared their love, he felt like she had to know everything. He didn't want her to wonder.

Azkadelia actually felt a moment of gratitude that she would have some time to herself. Her morning with Tannen had been one of the most beautiful things she'd ever experienced; but now she needed some time to process all of it and quietly sort through her thoughts in solitude. She didn't tell Tannen any of this, but in her heart, she knew he would understand.

Surprisingly, she managed to elude everyone for the remainder of the day and night, including DG. It wasn't until right before breakfast that Azkadelia finally saw someone other than security. Lavender Eyes knocked softly on the door of her daughter's sitting room before poking her head in and seeing her eldest daughter on the couch.

"Good morning Azkadelia," the queen greeted gently. "May I have a moment?"

"Of course, mother, I'm not busy at all," the princess replied. She waved her mother into the room. "Come in, come in. Can I pour you a cup of tea?"

L.E. nodded and took a spot next to her daughter on the couch.

"How are you this morning, Azkadelia?" she asked, stirring some sugar into the tea her daughter handed to her. "DG told me you ran away yesterday – and leaving a note explaining where you'd gone is very 'you', my dear," the queen quipped.

Az smiled, feeling a little guilty. After everything that happened yesterday, she forgot, momentarily, that she'd skipped out on her mother's society tea.

"About that, mother," she started. L.E. tried to cut in, but Az plowed ahead. "I am sincerely sorry if my absence caused you any trouble. I will apologize to the Duke if he was put out."

"Not at all – " the queen started to say.

"But mother, I just...it's just I'm not interested – right now – in accepting suit from anyone. I would really prefer – "

"Azkadelia, stop. Wait," Lavender Eyes interrupted her daughter, placing one hand gently on her shoulder. "You have no need to apologize my dear girl. I won't hear it from you," she chided gently. "In fact, it is _I_ who will apologize to you." The queen sighed heavily. It had been a while since Azkadelia had seen her mother this weighed down.

L.E. continued, tears thickening her voice. "You and I haven't...we never really _talked_ about anything that happened. I mean, about the witch and what she did to you. I just... through the years there were so many signs and indicators of trouble I missed...so many opportunities to fix things that slipped through my fingers..." the queen stopped speaking, too overcome to continue.

Azkadelia gazed at her mother and her heart filled with love. This woman she'd _never_ been terribly close too, even as a small child. This woman she'd _never _been terribly open with – even before the witch. Thinking back, it had never hurt Az's feelings that she wasn't as close to her mother as DG was because Ahamo had always been there, and Azkadelia felt grounded in and connected with her father. Now, though, the daughter could see that this was compounding into further isolation from each other and an outright inability to communicate in the wake of the witch's possession and subsequent demise.

Azkadelia realized she was sitting on the couch with the one person the witch was _actually_ trying to hurt. Everything the witch had done had been a move to damage Lavender Eyes: possess the heir, kill the beloved younger daughter, drive away the husband, imprison the wife and mother, torture and kill and ruin the people and the land the queen loved best. The land the queen felt the most responsible for.

Az had felt many things for her mother since the witch – awe and gratitude and frustration – but now she felt compassion fill her heart. Compassion for the one person who had been hurt almost as much as Azkadelia herself.

"Mother," Az whispered, leaning onto the queen's shoulder. "We cannot go back. Nothing will change was happened. But we came through – all of us. We're back together and we have a second chance. I don't want to waste anymore time with beating ourselves up for the war we had to wage. I want to revel in our victory."

A sob broke from out in the hall a fraction of a second before DG burst through the door, followed closely by Ahamo. They were both crying. DG flew to kneel on the floor between L.E. and Azkadelia and Ahamo sat on the table in front of his eldest daughter.

"She's right my dear," Ahamo said to L.E. "We won and our prize is this chance to be a family again. Let's not waste it by not giving and receiving forgiveness and love."

"I know, I know," the queen cried. "I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry." She gathered both her girls into her arms and sobbed against them. They hugged their mother back and Azkadelia whispered to her mother of her love and her forgiveness. Ahamo choked back his tears and placed a loving hand on each of his daughters.

It was the second time they'd been like this as a family since the eclipse. But it was the first time that they could stay like that, as long as they needed.

After a while, Ahamo passed around tissues to his girls and handed his wife his handkerchief.

"My family, my heart," he whispered with a smile.

All three women smiled back at him. Azkadelia leaned back on the couch and took her mother's hand. DG got up and sat next to her father on the table across from them.

"Though I don't regret anything said today," L.E. said after a few minutes of comfortable silence, "I actually came this morning to talk to you about something different Azkadelia."

"Yes, we came to talk to you too, Az," DG added.

"We owe you an apology," Ahamo put it. "And, inadvertantly, to you dear," he told his wife.

"What do you mean?" Az asked.

DG cringed. "We shouldn't have joked about mother's event yesterday being a 'mixer'. I sort of implied that mother was still trying to make us meet our prince charmings and that's not what yesterday was." 

"I thought I was being funny, Azkadelia, using that Other Side phrase, but it wasn't very sensitive to your feelings about courting and about what happened with the ambassador," Ahamo added. "I'm sorry my dear."

"And I'm sorry for not explaining what was really happening my dear," L.E. took her turn while Az looked at her family, a little shocked. "I categorically ended all courtship suits on your behalf. But that hasn't stopped the messages and letters I get from people all over the O.Z.. Word got around after the ball that you are willing to speak to people and let them share with you and the palace has received an influx of invites and visit requests. You did so well at the ball, and then the next morning with the Baxter's I'm afraid I was overly excited by your successes. I went a little overboard, I am the first to admit. I was...in awe of how you connected with people. You have a healer's heart, my dear, and the people need you." She paused now, her pride in her daughter choking her throat. When she regained her composure, she smiled brightly. "So, to expedite the many requests we have received, I arranged for small groups of people to come to the palace for some functions to give them a chance to interact with you. That's all yesterday's event was."

Azkadelia felt her breath push out of her lungs. "There are still people who want to see me? You've gotten letters?"

L.E. smiled. "Yes, and if you feel up to it, I think I'm going to give you the job of sorting through them. Although, nothing has made me prouder than to be your mother and read how much the people long to know you again and give their support to you."

Az squeezed her mother's hand, too overcome for words. This queen and this princess – they would be all right.

In the silence, Ahamo's stomach rumbled and DG laughed. "Are you hungry Ahamo?"

Ahamo laughed. "I am. Do you think Cook kept breakfast warm for us?"

L.E. stood up, bringing Azkadelia with her. "She doesn't have time to keep things warm dear. The girls will warm it up for us, I'm sure." She stepped toward the door, her grace and composure restored. "Shall we all eat together this morning?"

The consort put an arm around each of his daughters and propelled them toward the door. "We shall, my heart, we shall."

9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)9)


End file.
